Phoenix
by AyameRaine
Summary: Life is a cruel thing. I could swear to you that it likes watching us struggle and suffer most of the time. Whenever I start to improve my life and get better, it gives me something new to deal with. But I overcome. This time though, life is giving me a whole new scenario. One that could only happen in my wildest dreams. One that shouldn't be real. And I will be born again.
1. Mini Guide and Disclaimers

Once again, after much editing, I have (hopefully...) found a story idea that I can use, successfully, for this story. It'll be different from my previous version in many different ways, and the world will be more open for my characters instead of being confined to school. I really do hope this time I will be able to deliver the complete product, but I'm not guaranteeing anything.

Anyways, I'm using this chapter in order to explain some things as well as to give disclaimers and warnings.

First: this is not a reader insert. This is completely first person, and the main character has a name. I will not change it to a reader insert story since this is very personal.

Second: I really do apologize if I offend anyone. I really don't mean to, but some of my honest opinions about certain things will be in here. I apologize in advance.

Third: Some of the earlier chapters may be confusing to understand, but I promise it will (hopefully) make more sense as I go on. As you're reading new chapters of this story, I'm developing the story. Everything will be as confusing for you as it is for me.

Now, on to some disclaimers and warnings.

1\. I do not own many of the characters and most of the areas that will be used in this story. Better to disclaim than be sorry.

2\. There will be spoilers for many different fandoms or dialogue that can lead you to conclusions about what happens. I will put spoiler warnings at the beginning of the chapters saying what specific fandoms will be mentioned in that chapter. Please read at your own risk.

3\. There will be profanity used in this. If you are below 13 years old or don't like profanity, it may be a better idea not to read this.

4\. There may be slight suggestive themes or comments made, though there will be nothing explicit nor will there be any lemons/smut/whatever the heck you want to call it in this story. Don't ask me to write any. I will not write them. Ever.

5\. Some characters may be OOC in this. I will try my hardest to write them the way they were intended to be, but I can't make any promises.

6\. There may be points in the story that may be considered triggers or that may be a little intense. I will again put warnings at the beginnings of these chapters for this, so please read at your own discretion.

This is all I can really think of at the moment. If there is anything you find while reading this that may be something I should add here, please message me to let me know. Please, just make sure whatever it is necessary and not just personal bias towards something being made.

 **Ayame_Raine's Guide to Understanding Stuff (Great Title. Also, this section may be edited)**

Okay, so in my writing, I have some habits that may not exactly make sense or that differ greatly from other writers. People who have written with me or that have read some of my other stories know these habits, but I figure I'll make a guide in case you're wondering. This guide is usable in any others stories I may post in the future.

'If you see text formatted in apostrophes like this, it means it is my character's inner-thoughts.'

* If you see this it means I have a note in the Author's Note section at the end of the chapter. This will most likely explain something or provide the meaning for a word/phrase.

~*~*~* This means that a timeskip, conversation switch, or point of view switch is occurring. It will also be used when separating my author's notes from the story.

~Text formatted like this means people are speaking through telepathy.~

 **Character Theme: TBA** means that the character's theme will be the main song in a later chapter. I'll alert you at the beginning or end of the chapter to let you know whose character theme it is.

This means that the following dialogue/text will be music.

Finally, some chapters will be named after songs, or be references to song lyrics. I'm a big music person, so prepare for a lot of music. I mean, this fan-fic is named after one of my favorite Fall Out Boy songs.

 **Fandom List**

Kingdom Hearts

Radiata Stories

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VIII

Final Fantasy XIII/XIII-2/Lightning Returns

Final Fantasy XV (Formerly Final Fantasy Versus XIII)

Final Fantasy Type-0

Fire Emblem Awakening

Fire Emblem Fates/If

Vampire Knight/Guilty

Naruto/Shippuden

DRAMAtical Murder

(This fandom list is subject to change throughout the story, though I hope that won't be the case. For the most part, all the fandoms listed here will play a part in this story. Some fandoms will be mentioned/referenced, though they won't be added in as characters.)

~I do hope you'll enjoy this story.~


	2. Prologue: My Reality

Typically a story starts off with an introduction. The author wants you to understand who the main character or characters are and to give you an idea of how things unfold. But where is the fun in doing that?

Okay, I'll at least introduce the main character. She is pretty cool. Especially since this story is from her point of view.

My name is something to be given later. Well, at least the name that I receive. We'll get to that later. My real name, though, isn't something I'll share. It isn't who I am anymore. Not after everything I've been through.

We can start with other details, though. I'm 16 years old, for starters. I'm 5'7", which is tall compared to a lot of girls at my school. The biggest part of me is that I'm different than everyone else.

Now, in my world, I'm not different than others by supernatural means. Well, maybe I am but I just don't know it. That would be cool.

All joking aside, I was just born different. I've always been mature for my age, though, I still did enjoy my childhood... more or less... Not to mention I think and act differently than others. I've always tried to break the social norms.

Being different definitely has its pros and cons. Pro: I stand out in a crowd and I don't have to pretend to be who I'm not. Con: No one understands me, and it gets lonely.

I do have friends. Quite a few, actually, from many different social groups. Each of my friend groups represent a different part of me. But there isn't one group that completely defines me.

There isn't one group who understands me. The true me.

It's frustrating, sometimes, completely understanding them but not having them understand me. I see the world in such a strange way, but I would love having one person who understands.

Someone who understands mental illness. Someone who understands strange things like I do. Someone who understands who I am truly.

Sadly, that's too much to ask of this world. So, I just keep pressing on, even if I am in pain.

The first day of my junior year felt like it would be a big one. I finally began to feel like I was an upperclassman, which I had been mistaken for since the first week of freshman year.

The fact that I had more control over my life this year didn't help to ease my anxiety. From the moment I had woken up I had felt nervous of how things would end up.

I made it out of my house successfully, and I even made it all the way to the school successfully. I did feel slightly anxious, but I did my best to ignore it.

Once I made my way off the bus, I began to walk with a friend of mine. We caught up a little, and then began to head separate ways once we were inside.

I looked around, trying to get used to the new people in the school. Even if people weren't new, I couldn't tell. There were people I didn't recognize. Some were probably even in the same grade as me.

Yet everyone was amongst their friends. It seemed like I was the one only one in the entire place. It always felt like that.

I turned the corner and began walking down the hall where my homeroom was. I sighed since it was all the way at the other end of the hall.

I passed by some people that I had been friends with in the past. I felt a slight twinge in my heart considering our friendships hadn't ended well. It hurt to think it had to end since I had once been close to those people. But people change, and so do friendships.

And so do our lives.

I walked on a little more and I felt a slight pain in my head. I stopped walking and held my head since it came out of nowhere. Not to mention the fact that is felt like it was growing.

People gave me weird looks as they passed by, but that was typical for me. I wasn't concerned with them, anyways. I was too preoccupied with my quickly growing headache.

"Are you okay?" I dropped to my knees and clutched my head in my hands. My eyes closed in an attempt to ease the pain, but it only just kept growing.

Someone approached me, at least I think... I can't be too sure. I was beginning to lose my hearing as a sharp ringing sound became the predominant thing on my mind. The pain was unbearable by then, and I screamed. I collapsed onto my side, and my eyes opened a little. I could just barely make out people running towards me.

"Help me..." My eyes closed closed again, and I blacked out.


	3. Chapter 1: My Reality?

"Help me..." My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the lights that were on in the room. I was surprised when I became aware that I was lying on something soft. "Was it all a dream?" I sat up, and I was shocked by what I saw.

I wasn't in my room. I wasn't at school, either. I had no idea where I was.

I looked down and saw I was in a bed with pure white sheets and white pillows. In fact, the entire room was white.

"Oh god... Am I dead?" I put my hand to my head. "I don't feel sick anymore... and my head doesn't hurt anymore..." I moved the blankets off me, and I looked down at my clothes.

"Okay... I'm still in my clothes..." I put my hand over my heart. "And my heart is still beating..." I looked around. There were no windows, so I couldn't look out to see where I was. There were two doors. One was a closet door, and the other looked like a door that would take me out of the room.

"I guess I should see where it leads..." I walked forward and slowly turned the knob. I pushed the door open and I was met by a small room. One wall had a large window with its blinds drawn. The other had a large mirror on it. The room itself was about the size of my bedroom back home. There was a white couch under the mirror with a coffee table in front of it.

"Okay... That doesn't clear anything up..." I looked around. "But I would like to know why all the lights are on in this place..." I looked across the room and noticed there was an open doorway that led into a small kitchen. There was a door by the kitchen which I guessed was the front door.

"Is anybody home?!" I didn't get any responses, which left me in an eerie silence. I never did like being home alone when it was quiet.

I moved towards the window, and I pulled apart the blinds to see outside. It was night, making it hard to see anything. Wherever I was, all I knew was it didn't have any street lights outside of the apartment. "I guess I'll just go see where the hell I am... Maybe someone will tell me what's going on..."

I took one last look at the apartment before I turned and headed towards the front door. I grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open. I quickly stepped out onto the street and closed the door behind me.

"Okay..." I glanced around. "An alleyway really clears things up for me..." I looked up to my right and saw there was light coming from around the corner. "That way it is..."

I walked slowly down the alleyway. I didn't want to be hast and then walk right into trouble. I had watched too many TV shows and played too many video games to make that mistake.

I continued on, and then rounded the corner. The sight I was met by wasn't what I was expecting. Not by a long shot.

"We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto..." I walked forward and out into the open. People were walking around talking, which was something I wasn't expecting. "Definitely not Kansas... or Earth for that matter... More like..."

"Traverse Town."


	4. Chapter 2: Night of Fate

**_The little girl could not sleep, because her thoughts were way too deep. Her mind had gone for a stroll, and fallen down the rabbit hole..._**

"Yep. There are only three options of how this is happening. Wait, no... Four. One, I've completely lost it. Two..." I walked towards the staircase to my left. "I'm hallucinating..." I began walking up the stairs. "Three... I'm dead..." I walked past the shops as I walked towards the first district doors. "And the least likely of all..." I pushed open the doors to the first district and entered. "My dream since I was four years old has finally come true."

"Yeah... I've lost it... and I'm hallucinating... Both are correct." I looked around. "How is this even possible...? It shouldn't be..." I pinched myself. "I'm not dreaming... and my heart is still beating..." I shook my head.

"What am I doing? I'm questioning everything while I could do what I've always wanted." I smiled. "I should see if _he's_ here..." I began walking and I made my way to the front of the accessory shop. I looked towards the third district doors first, and the I looked over where the path to the fourth district would be. "It's there..."

I walked down the stairs. I saw the people that would always stand in the square from Kingdom Hearts there. All of them, from the Moogle to the the kid that really looked like Tidus.

"This is so cool..." I sighed. 'Where should I head...? The third district, or the fourth?' I swayed my head back and forth. 'I should probably try the fourth district... It seems kinda like a commercial district, so there'd be more people there...' I nodded to myself before heading to the right. I took in every detail as I went. 'I wonder what everyone back home would say if they knew this place was real...'

Once I was in the fourth district, I turned left. The place with the bright lights in Dream Drop Distance always seemed like a shop to me, so I wanted to check it out first.

I passed by some people on my way there. It really was strange seeing so many people in Traverse Town. It was so empty in the games... I just always assumed it'd be like that in real life, too.

"Ah ha, I was right." I looked up at the building in front of me. "It is a store." I walked inside and I saw it was selling food. Just then I realized how hungry I was. 'I don't have any money or *munny, though...' My stomach growled and I frowned. 'But I'm soo hungry...' I sighed and put my hands in my pockets. 'Oh well... I'll just go...' I turned to leave but I felt something weird in my pocket. 'What the...?' I pulled it out and I saw it was munny. 'But how is that...?' My stomach growled again. 'Never mind. Just go with it.'

I turned back around and made my way over to the counter. I looked at the menu, and it just looked like a fast food restaurant back home. That is, until I saw sea salt ice cream as an option.

"What can I get you?" I looked towards the worker and blinked.

"Oh, umm... I'll take one sea salt ice cream..." He smiled and then opened a cold drawer/fridge thing and handed me an ice cream in a packet.

"That'll be 20 munny." I reached in my pocket and pulled out enough munny. 'Heh... 20 munny... That rhymed... Sort of...'

"Thank you very much and do come again."

"Thanks." I took my ice cream and sat to the side at a small table. I opened the packet and then looked at the familiar food. 'Now I'll truly see if it's good or not...' I bit off the corner piece and I was met by a taste that was just how they always described it: salty, yet sweet.

"Wow... That is good..." I continued eating while I thought about what happened. 'So, what do you remember...? Well, you were at school... You were walking to *advisory... Then you were in extreme pain... And then nothing...' I frowned. 'Did I pass out...? And if so, how'd I get here...?' I looked out the window. 'Traverse Town of all places...'

Just then, a girl who looked out of place (Well, more so than I did) walked out into the open. I shook my head and focused on finishing my ice cream. Once I had, I checked the stick to see what it said.

"Loser, huh?" I sighed, yet smiled. "Better luck next time, I suppose..." I got up and threw my trash in the garbage. "Maybe I'll go explore some more..."

"What is that?!" I heard screaming coming from outside, and I ran to see what was going on.

"Uh, oh..." The girl that had looked strange was on the ground. From prior knowledge, I knew she was dead. No to mention the fact that a *heartless had emerged from her.

Everyone began to panic as it began attacking people and releasing their hearts. I ran around the people who were freaking out and hurried down the stairs.

I wasn't sure where to go, so I headed towards the fifth district. Once there, I looked around at my options. 'I don't exactly have *flowmotion, so I can't shoot up to the roof... and if I go in the garden-y place, I'll be at a dead end...' I looked behind me and saw heartless coming towards me. 'Not that I'm not already at a dead end... Maybe it will buy me some time...' I began running again.

I went inside the greenhouse-ish place and ran down the ramp. I was at the bottom and I kept running until I was in a corner. 'Well, I'm done for...' I turned and saw the heartless heading for me.

"I end up in Traverse Town, and I die. Not how, I thought I'd go out..."

~Don't give up.~ I looked around. 'I thought I heard someone...'

~You have to fight!~ I watched as a heartless jumped at me. 'I'm going crazy right before death... Great...'

~Fight!~ I closed my eyes as the heartless came at me and crossed my arms in front of me.

"I don't want to die!" I moved just as the Heartless was about to scratch me, and I felt something in my hand.

~Shinsetsu.~ I ignored the voice and stared at the sword in my hand. It was a katana with a white blade and a yellow hilt. There was a design of black vines weaved around it.

"Okay... It's not a keyblade..." I got into an awkward battle stance. "But it'll have to work..." Some more heartless came at me, but I swung once they were close enough and my sword cut right through them. They poofed out of sight right after. 'I should probably go to the first district. The accessory shop should be safe enough...' I began to run while fending off the *shadows. 'If I'm lucky...'

I finally ran into the first district after a lot of running and fighting. I was amazed that I was less worn out then I'd normally be.

"I'm on... the homestretch... Just... a little farther..." I panted as I started running again. Just as I was about to run up the steps, the ground shook. I looked back and saw that the shadows had stopped following me. However, one large shadow was forming on the ground. 'Well this isn't good...'

The shadow began to rise from the ground. Glowing yellow eyes were the first thing that were apparent. 'There is no way in hell I can fight a *Darkside all by myself... Being that I learned to fight, like, 10 minutes ago... More or less...' I backed away from it as the ground shook again. I kept my balance and looked around.

'Even if I go inside the accessory shop, it won't do much good... It would buy me time, but I'd probably get killed...' I looked up at the yellow eyes of the Darkside. 'But I can't fight it... I'll die that way, too...' I turned and ran up the stairs. 'I'm screwed either way... I'd rather have a minute to think before I die...'

I ran and pushed the doors open. I quickly shut them and then looked around. The building was empty and the fire was out. It was silent. I slid down the door. I felt tears coming to my eyes.

"My dream finally comes true... and then all this happens..." I wiped my eyes. "And I get to die all alone..." I laughed harshly. "The irony of it all..." I looked around. I then heard a ringing sound that came out of nowhere. I put my hand on my head. 'Not again...' The room suddenly seemed extremely bright.

Then, once again, I blacked out.


	5. Chapter 3: I'm Alive But Where?

**_I AM NOT LOST. To be lost, you have to know where it is you're supposed to be, and I don't even know that._**

"Don't bother her. She'll wake up when she's ready."

"I know. I just feel eager to get things started."

"Of course you are..." I moved a little. My brain was slowly coming back to its conscious state. I twitched my fingers and toes, and moved my eyes behind my eyelids. 'Okay, I'm alive... I think...' I opened my eyes and looked at the ceiling. 'Where am I, though...? And who are the people talking...? Should I be worried?'

"I think she's awake! Well, at least physically!"

"Iris." A male's voice spoke with a stern tone.

"What? I didn't do anything wrong."

"You shouldn't be too loud. Her body is probably still sensitive."

"Fine..." I looked to my right and saw a blue wall with a bookshelf in it. It was filled with several books I had read and loved. 'That's creepy...' I then looked at the bed I was on. It had white blankets with black and gray patterns on it.

I finally looked to the left, and I saw two people staring at me. One was girl with long purple hair that was pulled into pigtails, and the other was a boy with short-ish brown hair. The girl was wearing lolita-esque clothing, and the boy was dressed kinda formal.

"Is your brain finally awake?" I frowned. I wasn't sure if I should trust the people with me or not.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"You're in your room."

"I know for a fact this is not my room." The girl hit the boy on the head.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?!"

"You have to explain everything to her, first!"

"You didn't have to hit me to tell me that!"

"It worked, though." The boy sighed.

" _Anyways_ , this technically is your room. I'll get to that in a few minutes." He sighed again. "To start off, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Murakami Tadashi, first name being Tadashi. Her name is-"

"My name is Iris Walker!" I looked back and forth between the two people for a second, and the my mouth dropped open.

"No way... YOU TWO ARE REAL HERE?! Wherever here is!"

"Yep." I grinned.

"That is so cool..." I looked at Tadashi. "You're one of my OCs..." My head turned towards Iris. "And you're my childhood imaginary friend."

"Eh, correction. Imaginary twin sister."

"Right... I was such a weird kid..." I looked at both of them. "First Traverse Town, and now this... I am so confused... How exactly is this possible?"

"Well, you're in a different world, now."

"I kinda figured that out with the whole Traverse Town craziness I went through."

"Our apologies. You were supposed to end up in this room, but I guess Mezame had other plans for you."

"Mezame? Who is that?"

"Mezame isn't exactly a who. It's more of a what. Mezame is the name of our world."

"Wait, wait, wait. So you're telling me your world chose to put me here?"

"Yes. In fact, it even copied your body from your world and added a few special features."

"Copied my body?"

"Yes. Otherwise your brain would have had no physical form to manifest in."

"So Mezame stole my brain?!"

"Yep." I wrapped my arms around myself.

"I feel violated, now. I didn't give you permission to touch my brain, Mezame!" I frowned. "Then what happened to my body back home?"

"It's still there, it's just kinda... frozen. That and the rest of your world."

"So my brain getting jacked by some other world made my entire world stop?"

"Basically."

"Lovely... What's the catch?"

"You only have a year to complete the task you were sent here for."

"There we go." I sighed. "So why _am_ I basically in a dream world?"

"We don't know that part."

"Okay then... How are you two real?"

"We're real as long as you're here. The only difference between you and us is we're a part of this world. The world fabricated memories in its inhabitants so that we'd seem real. You, however, aren't. Not to mention we know our purpose."

"Which is?"

"To guide and care for you. We'll make sure you're prepared for everything that may happen."

"There's another catch, however. You have to seem as if you're an amnesiac. You can't act like you know where you are or that you know who the people you meet are. You're basically starting your life over as a person that was supposed to exist."

"I'm here in place of someone else?"

"Yes. Ari Walker, the daughter of Azrael Walker and Artemis Alexandra. Also, the sister of me!"

"So, I'm living someone else's life?" They nodded.

"Ari disappeared a long time ago. Luckily enough for you, no one knew what she looked like." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"You make her disappearance sound like a good thing..." I shook my head. "So, I'm guessing this was meant to be Ari's room?"

"Yes."

"Also, why is all my junk on her shelves?"

"You and her are basically the same person, except you live in two different realities. This world just assumed she'd like all the stuff you like."

"Do we have Internet, and phones, and computers, and all that other stuff we can't live without back home?"

"For the most part, yes." I grinned.

"Yay."

"And don't worry, we have journals for you."

"Journals. My precious babies that I can't write without." I sighed. "So, since I'm guessing this isn't Traverse Town... where am I now?"

"You're in *Midorijima." A wide grin spread across my face.

"Are _they_ real?"

"Yes... And many others you'll recognize."

"This... is... awesome! I don't feel sick anymore, and I'm surrounded such awesome people. Well, at least those I've heard about so far..."

"You're in for quite a ride."

"I figured." I nodded. "I'm ready, though. I have been for as long as I can remember." Tadashi stood up.

"Then let's go." I tilted my head.

"Go where?"

"Let's go introduce you to your parents' family."

"What about my parents?"

"Mom and Dad died a few days after we were born."

"Oh... That's horrible..." Iris nodded.

"That's a story for later. I think we should go and introduce you to our world, first." I moved the blankets off of me and sighed.

"Well then... *Allons-y!"


	6. Chapter 4: Sukui

**_Don't be afraid of new beginnings. Don't shy away from new people, new energy, new surroundings. Embrace new chances at happiness._**

 ** _\- Billy Chapata_**

"This place is really nice... It must've cost a lot of money."

"It did. Mom came from wealth, though. She was from a noble family."

"Whoa, so you and I are noble?" Iris looked down.

"Well... Not exactly... That's yet another story for later." I nodded, deciding not to pry.

"I think everyone is at work right now." Tadashi came down the stairs to join me and Iris.

"Momo isn't home?"

"She's probably around here somewhere..." Just then, I heard a meow. We all turned and saw a cat that looked almost identical to my cat, Smores, coming into the room. It jumped on the couch and looked at us.

"You guys have a kitty?" I walked over and began to pet its head. It closed its eyes and rubbed against me. "It's so cute!"

"Should I tell her?"

"No, we'll let her figure it out."

"Figure out what?"

"That I'm a person." I looked at the cat and jumped up.

"Cat-?! Talk-?! How-?!" The cat raised its paw and licked it.

"I'm a *Mithran. I'm using a beast stone that a *black mage gave me back in *Windurst." The cat jumped up and transformed into a humanoid with a tail and cat ears. She also had black markings on her skin similar to her fur's pattern. "I'm Momo Akiyama."

"I'm-"

"Ari Walker. I know. I was a good friend of your parents." She smiled. "I'm so glad we've finally found you..."

"I don't remember much... I'm sorry..."

"I wouldn't expect you to. You were just a baby when you disappeared."

"No... You misunderstand me. I don't remember much at all..." Her eyes widened.

"That's right... You were there when the Traverse Town incident occurred. I apologize..." I shook my head.

"It's fine... I remember running through town, and hiding in one of the buildings... The rest is a blur to me..."

"Maybe you'll gain your memories back." She sighed. "At least you seem to be okay, otherwise." I nodded.

"I feel alright." I sighed. "It is nice to meet you, though." She smiled and her tail flicked back and forth.

"So, I guess we should get you setup before you head out."

"Setup?" She nodded.

"Yes." She walked over to the coffee table and picked up a manila envelope. She then walked back over and handed it to me. "This has everything you'll need. It has a currency allowance card, a-"

"What's a currency allowance card?"

"You put any type of currency into an account, and then the card will translate to any currency that is on file in the world."

"Handy."

"Anyways, there's also a map of the island, a blueprint of the house, and some tips for living here."

"Thank you."

"Welcome. It's courtesy of all of us here at Sukui house."

"Sukui house?"

"Mom and Dad believed in helping people, no matter their background. They made Sukui house in order to help those with no other place to go. They even have a cafe named Sukui where everyone here works."

"Wow... That's amazing..."

"Yeah. If they hadn't done that, we wouldn't have Tada-chan here!"

"Please don't call me that..." She pouted.

"I like that name and I will call you by it forever." He rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, Ari. These two bicker like an old married couple all the time. You'll get used to it." I laughed.

"Good to know." Momo's tail flicked.

"Well, everyone else is at work right now. You three should walk down to Sukui and meet up. Plus, you two can show her around."

"Sounds good to me." I looked over at Iris and Tadashi. Iris grinned.

"I'll lead the way." She grabbed my arm and began to drag me along.

"Wait, Iris! Slow it down!" Momo laughed while Tadashi jogged to keep up.

"Be careful for those *Ribsteez gangs and *Rhyme players!" Iris turned for a second.

"We will!" We continued running along.

"It's so cool being here." I looked at all of the buildings as we walked down the street. I stopped for a moment. "So, how'd Momo know I was there and who I was?" Iris held up a wallet and then threw it to me. I caught it and opened it.

"That's your ID."

"That's convenient... Thank you, Mezame." I paused. "There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"This isn't my wallet." I spoke in a Patrick voice.

"Yes it is. Your ID is in there, making it your wallet." Iris giggled as she went along with it.

"I've never seen it before."

"That is your wallet, and I am returning it to you."

"Give what to who?" We both giggled after we were done.

"You two are dorks." I frowned and looked at Tadashi.

"First of all, we're geeks. Second of all, you are a product of my brain, making you a geek and a dork as well." He frowned.

"Dammit..." I patted his back.

"Sorry to break it to you, dude." We continued walking.

"Hey, Ari?"

"Hmm?"

"After we're done touring Sukui, do you wanna go to Mediocrity?" I stopped and turned to Iris, grinning.

"Is Aoba working?"

"Yep." I jumped up and down eagerly.

"Yasss!" I hugged Iris. "Thank you!" She laughed.

"You're welcome." I grinned.

"It's just so cool... Being in a world with even just them makes me excited... It's nice getting a break from everything back home... All the stress is gone for the time being."

"You've had a lot going on back home, right?" I nodded.

"Yeah..." I shook my head. "I shouldn't be thinking about that. I've got things to do and people to meet." I nodded. "Let's get going." The other two nodded before we continued walking down the street.

Seeing Midorijima in my own eyes was fascinating to me. It was similar to places back on Earth, but it also had this brand new feeling to it. I was excited to see all parts of it, even though I probably wouldn't be seeing Black Needle and the areas around it. Not unless I figured out how to use that sword again...

We made it to a building near the center of town and stopped in front of it. I looked at it and saw how nice it looked compared to a lot of the other places in the area.

"I'll assume this is Sukui?"

"Yep."

"It really stands out from everything else..."

"That was your parents' intentions for it. They wanted to make the city a better place... They just weren't able to see their plans being carried out..." I nodded silently. Tadashi sighed. "We should head in now. You're probably hungry, so we'll get you something while we're here."

"Thank you." Iris opened the door and held it open for me and Tadashi. She grinned cheekily.

"Ladies first." Tadashi rolled his eyes while I just laughed. He stepped inside first, and Iris and I followed right after him.

"Welcome to Sukui. How can we-?" An orange haired female wearing a maid uniform stared at us. "Oh, Iris. Tadashi. Hey guys."

"Hello, Akane."

"Sup, Aka?" The girl, Akane, smiled.

"Who's your friend here?"

"Akane, meet Ari." Her eyes widened.

"Oh, you're Ari." She walked over and shook my hand, smiling. "I'm Akane Himura. Or Himura Akane... Whatever, my first name is Akane." I laughed and she did too. "It's nice to finally meet _the_ Ari Walker everyone talks about." I tilted my head.

"Everyone?" Akane blinked.

"You haven't met everyone at Sukui, yet?" I shook my head.

"I've met you, Iris, Tadashi, and Momo. That's it." She smiled.

"Then we'll just have to introduce you to everyone. You won't be able to meet Sonia or Selene right now since they went to get groceries. Everyone else is here right now."

"I thought that Diana wasn't here." Akane looked over to Iris.

"Oh, that's right... No one has seen here the past couple of days... So that's three people. Oh well, you'll meet them later." She gestured for me to follow her. "We'll start with the people here." She pointed to a black haired male in a butler outfit. "That's Nolan Kinoshita. He is one of the four people, including myself, that waits on tables. He's from the *Hidden Stone village on the continent of *Shinobi no Sekai."

"Don't worry, Sis. We'll give you a geography lesson later." I gave Iris a confused look.

"Oh, she doesn't know Mezame's geography?"

"Nope. Sis is an amnesiac. She was there during the Traverse Town incident."

"Oh... I apologize..."

"It's okay... The little I do remember will help me get the hang of things, hopefully."

"I hope so. I also hope you'll start remembering more, soon." I smiled. 'I don't think that'll happen... Considering I don't even have amnesia...' "Anyways, let's move on. We'll formally introduce you when everyone is done for the day." I nodded.

"Okay." She looked around.

"Now where is he...?" Akane looked around the room, though I wasn't sure who she was looking for. "Ah, there he is! He's surrounded by girls, as usual..." I looked over where Akane was looking and saw a purple haired male who was in a butler uniform as well. He was, in fact, surrounded by girls.

"Who is he?"

"That's Eri Yukimura. He's one of our workers, and he's from the *Wildlands which is on the continent of *Nova Chrysalia." I nodded.

"Why is he surrounded by chicks?"

"He doesn't try to, but somehow he attracts a lot of girls from around town. He's a chick-magnet." I looked over at him. He looked extremely uncomfortable with the females surrounding him. 'I can't blame them... He is kinda cute...'

"That's everyone, well except for Diana, that works out front. Hasu should be in the office working on stuff right now, so we can go there next." I nodded and I followed after her as she led us into the back of the cafe. She lead us down a hallway, and then stopped in front of a door. She knocked on it.

"Yes?"

"It's Akane, Hasu. I've got some guests for you."

"Come in." Akane opened the door and the four of us filled into the room.

"I'd like to introduce-" The woman named Hasu stood up out of her seat. I saw she had purple eyes and blue hair.

"You... Are you Ari?" I nodded.

"Yeah... Well, at least I think so... I don't remember too much..." She walked over to me.

"I was told you were in the Traverse Town incident. I'm very sorry." She looked at me. "You've grown so big... I remember seeing you after you were born... After your parents... died, I looked everywhere for where you'd gone, but you had practically vanished." She smiled. "I'm glad I get to meet with you again."

"Me too." She gave me a sad smile.

"If only Artemis could see you... She'd be so amazed. I am sure she is watching from wherever she may be, though." She looked over to Iris. "She's watching over the both of you. I'm sure of it."

"Dad, too." Hasu frowned at the mention of our father.

"Yes, I suppose he is as well..." She was silent for a moment. "So, have you acquainted yourself with everyone, yet?"

"She hasn't formally met everyone, yet. She's talked to Momo, but not anyone else." Hasu sighed.

"Well after closing tonight, I'll get everyone together to meet you. For now, you should get something to eat and drink. I'm sure you're hungry." I nodded.

"Yes. Thank you." She nodded.

"I would join you, but I still have some things I must attend to. I do hope you'll excuse me." We nodded as as we left the room. "Oh, and Ari?" I turned to look at Hasu. "I'm glad to know you're alright." I smiled at her before I exited the room and joined the others.

"This is really good. Who makes this?" I stopped eating my éclair and looked at it.

"Selene handles baking everything we serve here. She bakes everything from scratch."

"Seriously? That's amazing." I swallowed what I was eating. "Where'd she get the recipes?"

"She learned them from the Alexandra family's cook."

"Mom's family? Well, I guess _my_ family, too..."

"Yes. Selene was raised in the Alexandra household alongside your mother. She is technically your adoptive aunt."

"So, Iris and I still have family, in some way?" Akane nodded.

"Yeah. Technically, now, she is your legal guardian. Although, she isn't Iris's." I raised my eyebrow.

"She isn't Iris's guardian? How is that possible?"

"Because I'm technically a child of the temple I was raised by." I looked over at Iris.

"You weren't raised at Sukui?" She shook her head.

"No. I was raised at the local Saisei temple by monks and priestesses."

"Saisei?" She nodded.

"Yeah. One of Mezame's many belief systems. Saisei is old tongue for Rebirth." I nodded.

"Okay... That makes a little more sense... but do you guys praise God, or some other deity?"

"We don't disbelieve in the gods, but we don't worship any particular one either. We worship a person who lived a long time ago. Her name was Aries, and in a way, she founded the religion."

"So why do you worship her?"

"She is one of the most powerful people that was ever born on Mezame. She was a healer and a priestess who watched over the people from her town. She was also special because their was a spirit, which is now referred to as the phoenix, that lived inside her and bonded with her. She could cure almost any ailment and even raise those who had died of anything other than old age back from the dead."

"Not only that," Tadashi jumped in on the story, "but she also was able to survive anything. She was immortal in at least the injury way. We'll never know if old age was part of it or not..."

"Why is that? What happened?"

"She was loved by many, but also hated by some. They felt her powers were unnatural, and that a human being shouldn't be playing God. So, one of the radicals led a group to destroy the temple. Many people were killed, including Aries." My eyes widened.

"But, she was immortal..."

"There is one thing that could kill her. A blade forged to hurt her and the phoenix spirit. It's name was the Mizu Blade, which was wielded by the leader of the radicals. The Mizu Blade rivaled even her own blade, called the Moesashi Blade."

"That's horrible..."

"There is one thing about our religion, though, that we strongly believe in."

"What's that?"

"Many believe that the phoenix spirit will choose a new human to bond with when the time is right. In a way, it would be Aries's reincarnation."

"Hence the religion being called Saisei, right?"

"Yep." I shook my head.

"Sounds interesting..."

"Sadly, a lot of people don't believe in the Saisei religion anymore. They feel that all of it is legend."

"But you guys don't?"

"Not one bit. Tadashi, Sonia, Selene, Momo, Hasu, and myself believe in the Saisei religion. It's kinda the Walker-Alexandra way, though." I looked over at Akane.

"What about you?" She grinned sheepishly.

"I'm not saying Saisei is wrong or anything, but I'm a firm believer in good old Christianity... For various reasons... Nolan is athiest, Eri has his own set of gods, and Diana is with me on Christianity."

"Well... I'm sorry, but I don't know if I believe in God all that much... Saisei sounds interesting, though... I'm not too sure what I believed in, though..."

"It's fine. Just because I'm Christian doesn't mean I'm going to put other religions down. I believe everyone should believe what they want." I smiled.

"That's a good belief to have." She smiled.

"Thank you..." Not many people think so, nowadays... Not that they did to begin with..."

"Well people are just unfairly close-minded. It's because of the way they're raised." I shrugged. "But it is their own fault for not breaking the cycle with their children."

"True." I sighed.

"So, how did Hasu know Mom?"

"Hasu was her advisor and protector. She was raised alongside your mom since she was born into the distinguished Ueno family." Akane smiled. "Hasu doesn't admit it, but Artemis and her were best friends. They honestly didn't let much come between them..."

"What finally came between them?"

"Hasu says it was Azrael. She didn't care for him that much, but she always stayed by Artemis's side. She wanted to make sure your mother was happy."

"What about Momo?"

"Momo was one of your mother's instructors." My eyes widened.

"But, she barely looks 30." Akane laughed.

"Yeah, she looks different than her age. She is actually 53 years old."

"What?!"

"Yeah, she has seen a thing or two in her life time. She is the oldest of all of us." Akane paused and made a strange face. "Sorry, I zoned out for a second. I tend to do that, so you oughta get used to it." I nodded.

"Only if you get used to me doing that a lot, too." She smiled.

"Deal."

"See, Sis: You're making friends already."

"I never thought I wouldn't make friends."

"Well, you seemed kinda anti-social so I just figured you wouldn't want to."

"I'm perfectly okay with meeting new people and becoming friends with them, Iris." She smiled.

"Thank you." The door to the kitchen suddenly opened and two people walked in. One was a blonde with blue eyes, and the other had black hair with red eyes. 'They're like polar-opposites...'

"Hey guys! We're back and we are now good for the next week or so." The black haired woman looked at me. "Who is this? She a friend of yours?"

"This is Ari, Selene." The woman named Selene's eyes widened.

"You're Artie's daughter?" I nodded. She smiled, pushed her bags into the other woman's arms, and ran over and hugged me. "You've gotten so big... Just yesterday you and Iris were tiny little babies, to me..." She pulled away from me.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember to much... I'm still getting used to life here..." She nodded.

"I'm sorry. I forgot for a moment the trauma you've recently went through. I was just excited to see my long lost niece." She sighed. "I should introduce myself. I'm Selene Tsukino, your mother's adoptive sister. Well, technically your aunt." I smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Selene. I apologize for not referring to you as my aunt."

"It's alright. It's understandable for both you and your sister's circumstances." The blonde woman walked over to the pantry.

"Gee, don't bother introducing me. It doesn't matter who I am." Selene ran over to her.

"Aw, Sonia! Don't be that way." The woman turned and smirked.

"You know I'm messing with you. I wasn't expecting you to introduce me. Besides, she's your niece. You deserve more time with her."

"Well now I have to introduce you!" Selene turned the woman towards us. "So, Ari, this is Sonia Ogawa. She is my bestest friend in the whole wide world!"

"Bestest?" Selene looked over at Sonia.

"Yes, bestest. Don't question me, child." Sonia sighed.

"Damn you using your age over me again... You're only two years older than me."

"Yes, but that makes me two years wiser. So I know what I'm saying when I say bestest."

"I say bestest, too!" Selene gestured towards Iris with her arm.

"See what I mean?"

"I see that it says a lot about who Iris ended up like out of her family members. And I'm not too sure that is a good thing."

"Hey!" Both Iris and Selene spoke in unison. Tadashi and Sonia shook their heads while Akane and I laughed. 'I think I'll get used to it here... Everyone, so far, seems nice enough...'

~So, how you likin' it here, Sis?~ I looked over at Iris, and she was still laughing. 'I could've sworn she talked...' ~I did speak, silly.~ She looked over to me and grinned. ~I inherited telepathy from Mom.~ I frowned.

~I don't know how I feel about that... So you can just freely read my mind?~

~I can, technically. I don't have to if you don't want me to, though.~

~I'd prefer you don't, for the time being. I dunno, I might need it later. Gotta keep my options open.~

~You sound like a player. Oh well, I'll close off the channel to your mind. Just tell me if you ever need it reopened.~ Then it went silent in my brain. Well, asides from my own thoughts.

"But really, do you like it in Midorijima?" Everyone turned their attention to me.

"Yeah. So far." Everyone smiled.

"That's good to hear. I know it may be a bit much, but I'm pretty sure you'll get adjusted quickly.

"I really do hope so... I hope Midorijima will give me some sense of who I was, and who I should have been, had I grown up here." I sighed.

"Well, don't stress about it. Just try to enjoy yourself while you're here." I nodded.

"I will." I took a deep breath. "I have to give compliments to the chef, Selene. This food is amazing."

"Thanks. You can thank Artie's family for that. Their cook taught me everything I know about baking." I put my hands together.

"Thank you Mom's family's cook!" Selene laughed.

"Akane, aren't you still on shift?" We looked at Sonia. Akane began to laugh awkwardly.

"Early break?" Sonia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'll let it slide this time. You'll just have to figure out how to apologize to the boys." She pouted.

"Okay..."

"Welp, we're going to get going. There are still some places we want to show, Ari."

"Okay, but just make sure you're back here or back home before dark." Sonia crossed her arms. "The Ribsteez gangs will be more lively, then..."

"We know. We won't let Ari get hurt, Sonia." Sonia nodded.

"If you need anything, just call us."

"Gotcha." Iris stood up, followed by me and Tadashi.

"Ari, it was nice to finally meet you."

"I smiled.

"It was nice to meet you guys, too."

"We'll see you later." I nodded as we exited. Once we were outside, I turned to Iris.

"Well, they all seem nice."

"They are. We're really like a big family. You'll fit right in."

"I hope so..." I smiled. "Well, where to next?"

"Mediocrity!" I laughed while Tadashi shook his head.

"Let the inner fangirling begin!"


	7. Chapter 5: Dream Come True

**_The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams._**

 ** _\- Oprah Winfrey_**

"So this is truly Midorijima, huh?" I looked around while we walked down the street.

"You like?" I smiled and looked at Iris.

"Absolutely. I can't believe I'm actually here. First Traverse Town, despite those circumstances... and now Midorijima. I have literally hoped for something like this my entire life."

"There is a whole bunch of other places you'll know, too. We should show you the map later."

"Sounds cool."

"Well, you're good with maps and special stuff, so you should understand it pretty easily."

"Depends if my brain feels like functioning. It's been kinda derpy today."

"I still love how people use that as if it is an actual describing word."

"It is if you go on Urban Dictionary."

"A lot of things are considered real terms on Urban Dictionary." Tadashi shivered. "I went on there once... Big mistake." I patted his shoulder.

"Poor, baby. You must not have known what you were getting into."

"You can thank your sister for my trauma." I looked over at Iris who simply grinned and gave a thumbs up. I laughed while Tadashi lowered his head and crossed his arms.

"Anyways, how much farther do we have?"

"Not too much further. We've just got a corner or two to turn till we're there."

"Coolness." I sighed. "I have to be honest. I'm a little nervous."

"That's something to be expected, considering the situation."

"And don't worry: you probably won't combust or anything along those lines.'

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Iris..." She grinned.

"You're welcome!" We turned the corner into an alley and I began to feel uncomfortable.

"Umm, we're safe, right?"

"Yeah, we're safe. You've got nothing to worry about." I let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness." We exited the alley, and Junkshop Mediocrity was finally in view.

"*Heibon!" Iris gestured to it. "Ready to visit this shop you know nothing about whatsoever?" She winked at me and I laughed.

"If you say it so loud, Iris, people will most likely figure out Ari's secret. Keep your voice down." Iris pouted.

"Why are you always a party-pooper?!" He shrugged.

"Don't blame me, blame my author." Iris looked at me.

"Why you do dat, Ari?"

"Because dat how my brain work."

"Your brain is stupid, now. I came out awesome, and he came out all moody."

"Gee, thanks."

"Welcome."

"Less talk, more Bluey." Iris laughed.

"Okay." She ran towards the shop and then turned to me and Tadashi. "Come on, slowpokes!"

"She goes from one mood to another so quickly. I don't understand her..." I laughed.

"Sorry. That's just the way my brain thought her up."

"I'm aware... Next time you come up with a character, please make them less bipolar."

"Sorry, Tadashi. I can't make any promises." He sighed.

"Fine. Let's just go." I nodded as we began to catch up to Iris.

"Welcome to Junkshop Mediocrity." Aoba looked up. "Oh, Iris. Tadashi. How are you guys?"

"We're good, Aoba. How is Tae-san?"

"*Baachan is doing, good."

"That's good to hear." Aoba looked at me and my face warmed a little. 'He's as cute in person as he is in the anime and game...'

"Who's your friend?"

"Actually, Aoba, this is my twin sister, Ari." He looked back and forth between Iris and me.

"Really?" Iris grinned and nodded. She then wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

"Yep." He squinted.

"I can kinda see it... but you really have to squint. Not to mention your sister is way quiter than you."

"She's just a bit shy. She'll be a chatterbox in no time." I frowned.

"Not as much as you." Iris looked over at me and pouted.

"Aw, come on, Sis! Don't catch Tadashi's grump!"

"I can't help that you've intruded on my personal space." I pushed her arm off of me.

"Tadashi, what have you done to my poor baby?!" He put his hands up.

"Nothing. You must remember that Ari _is_ her own person."

"I know..."

"How come we've never met before?" I turned to Aoba as the other two began to bicker again.

"Oh, I'm not from around here... I mean, yeah, I am Iris's sister, but we were separated a long time ago. I grew up in Traverse Town while she grew up here." His eyes widened.

"Traverse Town? Were you there when... _it_ happened? What was it like there before then?"

"Yeah. I was there when the incident happened. Sadly, the day of the incident is all I have memory of..."

"Wow... That must really weigh down on you, huh?" I nodded.

"Yeah... I just try to not think about it too much... Everything surrounding it went so fast that it's kinda a blur."

"Well, I won't pry. I can only imagine what it must feel like to you." I nodded.

"Thank you."

"Well, I hope you've liked Midorijima so far. It isn't much, but it's home."

"I like it, so far. It's fascinating getting to explore somewhere new." I looked around the shop. "This place seems nice, despite the really depressing name." Aoba laughed.

"Yeah. I mean, I like it here and we do have regular patrons, so it really isn't that bad." He sighed. "The only problem I typically have is getting mistaken for a female because of my voice." I tilted my head.

"Really? I mean, you are a bit feminine, but I can still tell you're a boy."

"Thanks. That's reassuring to hear." Aoba turned to the other two. "You guys, don't you have the rule where you have to get home before dark?" They turned to Aoba.

"We do?" Tadashi nodded.

"Yes. Sonia is a part of the reason we put that rule into place." I frowned.

"Oh... I'll have to hear the story about that later."

"It was good seeing you guys, then. And it was nice meeting you, Ari. I know you'll get used to living here in no time." I smiled.

"Thank you, and I honestly hope so." We walked outside and I let out a large breath. "Oh my God... My face feels close to combustion." Iris laughed.

"It is pretty red." She pinched my cheeks. "You look like a tomato." I pushed her hands off of me.

"Ow..." I rubbed my cheeks. "That hurt..."

"Oh, you're fine."

"You don't know that. I could be dying now that you pinched me. Who really knows if I'll make it?"

"Oh stop being over-dramatic."

"Guys, we really should be heading home. The sun is going down and we have a bit of a walk ahead of us." Iris and I turned to Tadashi.

"Right, sorry."

"Yeah, sorry Tada-chan." He frowned while sighing.

"There's no point in apologizing. Let's just go." We nodded before starting to head home.

We walked for some time until we neared the district where *Mizuki's shop, Black Needle, was. Since it was getting dark, the city's lights were coming on, making it seem brighter. The streets were already beginning to bustle with the night crowd.

"Sukui should be closing up shop, soon. We might as well just head home."

"That's probably true." We continued walking.

"So, why do we have to be home by dark? What's the story behind that?"

"When Sonia was younger, and just began to work at Sukui, she was kinda a trouble-maker. She grew up in a bad home, so she left and began to live on the streets. She gambled, fought, and was really involved with some of the worst Ribsteez gangs."

"Really? She seems so calm, now." Iris nodded.

"She got some help from Mom and Dad. It took their deaths, though, for her to really come back to reality. It calmed her down, a lot."

"The night time rule," Tadashi entered the conversation, "began after they died. When she was in recovery, she had a curfew with the same rule. She worked during the day, but she had to be home before dark. She put the same rule in place for all of Sukui since she didn't want people who came after her to do the same stupid things she did."

"Wow... That's a really deep backstory... and kinda sad, considering..."

"Everyone at Sukui was kinda saved. Akane was from a foreign country and had nowhere to go. She couldn't even speak English at first. Nolan ran away from home for his own reasons, and the same goes for Eri."

"What about everyone else?"

"Selene was an orphan living on the streets until Mom found her. The Alexandra family then took her in, though she couldn't take their last name since you have to be born into the Alexandra bloodline."

"Oh yeah... Noble rules..." Iris nodded.

"Momo is from a different country on a different continent. She struck out on her own when she was young to explore, and she ended up coming to work as a teacher for Mom and Selene. You already know Sonia's backstory."

"Didn't you say there was one more worker...? Diane or something...?"

"Diana Nakahara. She doesn't really talk too much about her life, but we do know she comes from a well-to-do family. We aren't sure why she left, though..."

"And now that she's been gone for a week or so, we're even more at a loss." I frowned.

"She's been gone for a week and not returned to Sukui?"

"No. We assume she went home, but we're not too sure."

"You guys haven't thought of checking it out?"

"We have, but we haven't gotten the chance to. Everyone else has been working, and we were concerned about _other_ matters." They both looked at me.

"Oh. Gotcha." I gave a double thumbs-up.

"Any other questions?" I nodded.

"What about you, Tadashi? Do you work at Sukui?" He frowned.

"I did, but luckily enough you came along and I'm your caretaker now. I don't have to wear that uniform ever again..." He shivered.

"Why is the place a maid and butler café?"

"That's all Mom's idea. Hasu says she saw the idea in a magazine, and then she wanted to try it out." Iris smiled. "Mom was extremely ambitious. I mean, even just marrying Dad was a huge deal." I tilted my head.

"What do you mean?"

"Umm, well... I'll tell you later." I frowned and nodded.

"Okay then..." We turned a corner and I saw it was an alley. It looked really ominous, and I mean _really_ ominous. Like, so ominous you probably shouldn't go down it. But of course, "we" chose to go down it. Really more Iris and Tadashi. They were the official navigators, though.

"Umm, guys...? It's really creepy this way..." Iris grinned at me.

"You can hold my hand if you want." I frowned.

"I'm not 5, Iris. I'm 16."

"Yeah, but you're a 16 year old that is afraid of spiders, heights, small spaces, crowds, and the list goes on."

"Those are perfectly reasonable fears. It's just an alley at night is asking for trouble."

"We're not going to get into any trouble, Sis. You'll be fine."

"Where do you three think you're going?" We turned and saw some thuggish guys.

"See! I told you! And right on cue!"

"Hiya, guys! We aren't looking for any trouble, so we'll just be on our way..." One of the guys grabbed Iris's shoulder.

"But you see, you're in Bug Bomb territory. You're trespassin', so we've gotta deal with cha'."

"You have five seconds to remove your hand from me."

"You think we're scared of you."

"Five." One of the guys came at her. "Four, three, two, one." She kicked the guy that was holding her shoulder in the groin, then swung him at the guy who came at her. The third guy came at Tadashi who simply moved out of the way.

"Persistent brats!" One of them pulled a gun and pointed it at me. My eyes widened and I froze.

"Gisei!" There was a flash and a swift motion, and then the gun dropped out of the man's hand. I looked at Tadashi and saw he had a katana pointed towards the man. 'Where did that come from?!' I looked over and saw Iris had two sabers pointed at them as well. 'Where did they pull swords from?! Wait... I wonder if it's like how I summoned that sword back in Traverse Town...'

"Let's get out of here!" The thugs got up and ran. Once they were gone, I turned to Iris and Tadashi.

"What, in the hell, was that?!" I pointed at the weapons they were holding. "What are those?!"

"Swords, obviously."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. I'm saying where did they come from?!"

"We summoned them."

"How'd you do that?"

"Well, Iris summons them by using her mind. That's a much harder technique. I, however, just call the name of my sword."

"Does it come every time you say its name?" He smiled and shook his head.

"At first, for most, it does because they don't know how to control it properly. After enough practice, though, saying it a certain way will summon or dismiss it." I nodded.

"I summoned one before... Well, it was more like someone else summoned it for me..."

" _You_ summoned a sword?!" I nodded.

"A white and gold katana."

"Do you know its name?"

"I think... I think it was Shinsetsu..." A sword popped into my hand after I said the word I had heard. "Huh. So that's what you mean."

"My baby sister summoned a sword!"

"Baby sister? Wait, I'm younger?!"

"Yep! By 7 minutes."

"Noo! That doesn't follow birth order rules!"

"Do twins ever follow birth order rules in anything you've watched or played?'

"No..."

"See." I shook my head.

"Anyways, is this going to happen every single time I say Shinsetsu?" The sword disappeared. "Dammit..."

"Only until we get your summoning power under control. Hasu probably knows something to help speed along the process. Just try not to say its name too much." I nodded.

"Okay..." I thought for a minute. "Do your swords have names, Iris?" She nodded.

"This one," she held up the sword in her right hand, "is Envidia." She held up the other one. "And this one is Humilidad."

"Envy and Humility?" She nodded.

"Yep. A lot of weapons that people use are named either after a virtue or a sin." She held up her swords. "I have both." She dismissed them.

"Yours is a virtue, Ari." I looked over to Tadashi.

"Really?" Tadashi nodded.

"It's old tongue, or Japanese, for kindness."

"Cool. What is yours named?"

"It's old tongue for sacrifice."

"Deep. Is it a virtue?" He shook his head.

"No. It's just a name." I thought for a moment.

"So... The Mizu and Moesashi Blade... Mizu means water, but I'm not sure about moesashi..."

"It means ember."

"So old tongue is just Japanese... and the two swords were water and fire... Makes sense..."

"We should head home. Sonia is going to be pissed beyond belief."

"And don't worry about anything. We've got your back." I smiled.

"Thanks." They nodded and we then began to finally make our way home.

"It is literally _the_ first day she has been here, and you're out past curfew?!" Sonia had the three of us seated on the couch. "I swear to Aries that you three are lucky I'm not killing you right now."

"Well, we were heading home from Heibon and we ran into some trouble."

"Trouble?"

"Umm... yes... Bug Bomb trouble..."

"You ran into a Ribsteez gang?"

"Maybe..." Sonia pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Just go to the dining room before I freak out. And tell Selene to hold off on my plate. I need a minute."

"Yes, ma'am." We all got up and I followed Iris and Tadashi to the dining room.

"Hey, guys!" Akane waved to us as we walked in.

"Who is that?" Eri and Nolan looked at me.

"This is Ari, guys." Iris shook me. "You know, my baby sister?" I deadpanned. 'She's never going to let that go, is she...?'

"Oh, okay." Nolan smiled. "Nice to meet you, Ari. I'm Nolan Kinoshita."

"I'm Eri Yukimura." Eri spoke very quietly and very seriously.

"Nice to meet you guys." Nolan gestured to the table. Sit wherever you like." I nodded. I was about to step towards the table when Tadashi pulled me to the side.

"Sit between Iris and me, _please_..." I nodded.

"Okay." I sat at the middle chair, and Iris and Tadashi sat on either side of me. I looked over to the kitchen and saw Selene cooking.

"Hey, Selene?!"

"Yeah?"

"Hold Sonia's plate. She needs cool down time."

"What did you do this time?"

"Aunt Selene, that's not nice! You just assume _I_ did something?"

"Did you?"

"Yes..."

"And what was that?"

"I brought Ari down a shady alley, and we got into a fight with members of Bug Bomb. And then we got home past curfew."

"You know how she feels about curfew. You can't blame her."

"There is one crazy thing, though."

"And what's that?"

"Ari summoned a sword!" Everyone turned their attention to me.

"You did?!"

"You're a weapon summoner?!" I blinked.

"Apparently, yeah. I summoned a katana."

"It even has a name!"

"What's its name?" I was about to say it when Iris covered my mouth.

"It's Shinsetsu. Ari can't say it or she'll summon it."

"So she's on that stage, huh? You should tell Hasu and she'll be able to help you out with that."

"I'll help who out with what?" Hasu walked in the room.

"Ari is a weapon summoner, Hasu!" Hasu looked over to me.

"Really? I guess it truly does run in the Alexandra family lineage. Other families are pick and choose for who inherits that trait, but every member of the Alexandra family ever in existence has been able to summon a weapon."

"The only problem is I can't say its name without summoning it." Hasu nodded.

"Your mother went through that stage with her own sword, Kinshu. Old tongue for temperance."

"That's a virtue, right?" Hasu nodded.

"I have something that will help you control your summoning." She walked over to me. "Stand up." I nodded and then stood. "Summon your sword."

"Shinsetsu." The sword once again appeared in my hand. She put her hand out and put it over my sword.

"Imperium." A light came from her hand in tendrils, and it wrapped around my hand like vines. It then flashed and the vines disappeared. "Try saying it now."

"Shinsetsu." It stayed in my hand.

"Now shout as if you were in battle and really needed help."

"Umm... okay..." I thought for a moment. "Shinsetsu!" The sword poofed out in a flash of light.

"Now whenever you call upon it like that, it will know whether to stay or leave." I smiled.

"Thank you, Hasu." She smiled and nodded.

"You're welcome, Ari. I'm used to doing that. I ended up having to do the same for your mother."

"Was it magic?" She nodded.

"Yes. Everyone in both the Alexandra family and the Ueno family are skilled mages. The Ueno family, my family, is skilled in all battle related magic or commonsense magic, while the Alexandras are taught mostly combative magics. Your mother had an affinity for fire magic as well as ice magic. Although, she could use any as she pleased."

"Artie also learned healing magic on the side." We turned to Selene as she brought plates over to the table. "It wasn't part of her training, so she took time to study it on her own."

"Wow... That's amazing..." Selene placed a plate down in front of me.

"Well, your mom was an awesome person. She's the reason I'm really even alive today."

"And may Aries bless her soul for the saint she was." It was silent for a moment.

"Come on, guys. Let's dig into this tasty food!" Thank you Iris for breaking the silence.

"Yeah, I'm starved!" We all sat down, except for Selene, and began eating. I looked over to her and saw she was eating at the counter.

"Selene, aren't you going to join us?" She looked up at me.

"Oh, umm... I've still gotta serve Sonia, so I'll just eat over here."

"Oh, okay..." Something about her answer didn't seem sincere. She was obviously making an excuse, but I didn't want to intrude.

"So, Ari, we're gonna play a question game to help you figure our your favorite things." I looked over at Nolan.

"Okay. Sounds fun."

"Okay. I'll ask the first question. What is your favorite color?"

"Umm..." I paused to make it look like I was thinking. "Blue... but black is a better color to wear."

"Cool. Okay, Akane is next." She swallowed her food.

"What is your favorite animal?"

"Cats, just not hairless ones."

"Why, thank you." Cat-form Momo jumped up in a seat and put her head on the table. "I'm next. Favorite genre of music?"

"Hmm... I'll have to say rock."

"Nice choice." I looked over at Akane who was grinning.

"Aka loves the punk rock/alternative stuff." I looked to Iris, then back to Akane.

"My favorite band is *Paramore." I smiled.

"Nice." I cheered in my head. 'That means some things from home exist here... That's awesome.'

"I believe it is my turn." We turned to Eri. "What is your favorite vegetable?" I raised my eyebrow.

"Umm, that's an odd question... but I guess potatoes...?"

"Don't mind farm-boy here, Ari. The Wildlands really has his brain hot-wired for hunting, gathering, and farming." I nodded.

"Who's next?" Selene raised her hand.

"I am. What's your overall favorite dessert? I need to know so I have some idea of what to make."

"You just asked the hardest question known to mankind. Choosing one dessert is almost impossible. I do like á la mode stuff, though."

"I'll count that as your answer. I have plenty to choose from."

"I'm next. This time, the question isn't food based." Iris cleared her throat. "Who... is your favorite... sister?!"

"Akane." Akane laughed and threw her hands up triumphantly while Iris grabbed my arm.

"Sis, why?! She isn't your sister!"

"Sukui's tenants technically are a family, so technically she's my sister."

"But I'm actually 100% biologically related to you!"

"I don't know. I haven't seen the DNA match," I spoke in a teasing manner, making her freak out more.

"Ariii!" She shook my arm.

"Calm down, Iris. You're my best biologically related sister." She let go of me.

"That is good enough for me." She looked at Akane. "But I'm watching you, Himura."

"Fair enough." We continued talking and joking around as we ate dinner. Sonia eventually joined us, and she quietly steamed as she ate.

"So, what do you guys think happened to Di?" We looked over at Nolan.

"Who knows. Maybe she went back to her house?" Hasu shook her head.

"She wouldn't. We all know she had no desire to go back there." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Why not?" Hasu looked over at me.

"She is a very skeptic young woman. Part of her reason for coming to Sukui is because she claimed someone was out to get her."

"Is she schizophrenic?"

"That's the thing." I turned to Momo. "She is a very intelligent girl, and she seems to know fantasy from reality." Momo licked her paw. "She may actually have someone who is after her. It wouldn't be surprising."

"Why wouldn't it be surprising?"

"Her family owns a big company here in town. They're... Well, they aren't exactly known for having a positive reputation in the community. They don't work ethically."

"I can see why she may want to get away from that, then."

"You see, that's the thing. Diana doesn't know her own family's reputation."

"How does she not know?"

"We're not sure. She seems completely oblivious to the fact that her family is hated by practically everyone."

"Weird..." I thought for a moment. "Shouldn't we should be looking for her? Like, what if something bad happened to her?"

"We've been meaning to, but things here and at Sukui have been busy."

"What if we went? I can at least very basically use my sword. Not to mention we aren't held back by Sukui work hours."

"Are you sure? It's potentially dangerous."

"Pfft, dangerous is my middle name."

"Actually, your middle name is Raine."

"You know what I mean, Iris."

"Yeah, I do."

"If you think you'll be alright, then go ahead. Just be extremely careful."

"We will."

"Get some rest. You three can discuss your plans more in the morning." I nodded.

"It's Aka's turn to clean, since she owes us." Akane sighed.

"Fine..." Akane got up and began to gather everyone's plates. Eri got up and went upstairs, while Nolan turned to Iris.

"You still owe me a round on Soul Calibur V, Iris." She jumped up.

"I'll be there in a sec." She turned and hugged me. "I love ya, Sis. I hope you sleep well." I smiled.

"Night, Iris." She waved as she followed Nolan to the living room. Momo jumped down from her chair.

"Good night, everyone."

"Night, Momo." I looked and saw Sonia talking with Selene as Selene put away the leftover food. Hasu, Tadashi, and I were the only ones left at the table.

"Ari, do you remember where your room is?" I shook my head. "Tadashi, can you show her to her room?"

"Yes." She smiled.

"Thank you." She stood up. "I'm glad you're here with us now, Ari. I truly am. I hope you sleep well."

"You, too." She nodded.

"Well, I'll retire to my room now. Good night, everyone."

"Night." She left, and Tadashi and I stood up. I followed him as he led me to my room.

"So, overall, how was your first day?"

"It was amazing. I really did enjoy myself. It feels nice to have a family that seems to work well together..." I paused for a moment. "Everything is so different... It makes me not want to go back home..."

"You know you have to go home eventually, right?" I nodded.

"Yeah... I know... I'll just have to enjoy every moment that I can..."

"That's a good way of putting it." We got upstairs and stopped in front of one of the doors.

"This is mine, right?"

"Yeah. This is your room." He pointed to the wall. "This side is girls." He pointed across the stairs to the other side. "That's boys."

"Gotcha." I turned to him. "Do you really have _any_ idea of why I'm here?" Tadashi turned to me.

"I don't know everything... I can just tell you things may get harder as time goes by."

"Gee, sounds like my real life." I sighed. "I'll keep that in mind, though." He nodded.

"Need anything?" I shook my head.

"No. I'll be alright." He smiled.

"That's good. I hope you sleep well, Ari."

"You too, Tadashi. Good night."

"Night." I slipped into my room and closed the door behind me. I sighed as I slid down to the ground. I kicked my boots off and then closed my eyes. 'Day one is over... I wonder how day two will go...' I reopened my eyes, stood up, and then got ready to go to sleep.


	8. Chapter 6: The Girl Who Survived Death

**_Surviving is much more painful than death._**

 ** _\- Tom Clancy_**

"Wake up or you're going to miss breakfast!" I heard someone banging on my door and yelling in at me. I put my pillow over my head and grunted. "Ariiiii!" I opened one eye and looked at the door. I reluctantly stood up and walked over to open it.

"What do you want, Satan?"

"It's breakfast time and we're having chocolate chip pancakes. Hurry up or you're going to starve."

"How are you so awake right now?"

"Easy. I don't sleep." I blinked.

"Umm, why exactly don't you sleep?"

"Easy again. I got a spell cast on me when I was little, and now I don't need to sleep."

"You physically don't need to sleep?"

"Nope. I am energized 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days, or 366 days, a year!" I shook my head.

"Sleep is sacred to me. I can't imagine _not_ sleeping." I sighed. "Just give me a second to make myself look slightly decent, and then I'll be down."

"Kay!" She ran off and I closed my door.

"Well... It could be a lot worse... She could be an insomniac like *Kanato and be a frickin' psycho... Not that she isn't already one..." I shook my head as I walked over to my closet. 'What do I even have in here...?'

I looked through my closet, and I saw it had a lot of my clothes from back home. Several of my major fandom shirts were missing, so I could only assume that those fandoms were real here.

"Hmm... What's that?" I pulled out an outfit and smiled to myself. "Let's change things up a bit..."

"Good morning, Ari." I smiled as I entered the dining area.

"Morning." I sat down in my seat and saw everyone was there except Hasu, Momo, and Tadashi.

"You look nice today, Sis."

"Iris is right. It's way different than what you were wearing yesterday."

"Yesterday's look is a more typical look for me... Much more comfortable... I wanted to try this on, though."

The day before, I had been in the same clothes as school and Traverse Town. It consisted of a grey hoodie, a shirt that said *"Vote for Pedro", blue jeggings, and black slouch boots. I am the master of lazy dressing.

That day was a different case, though. When I was looking through my clothes, I had found an outfit that resembled the outfit I had worn for picture day back in preschool, just more mature looking. My outfit was made up of a blue button-up shirt, a black sweater vest, a light blue ribbon that was like a tie, a blue plaid miniskirt, and matching blue knee-high socks. I also had on a pair of black combat boots.

"I approve." I smiled.

"Thanks, Iris." She reached into her pocket.

"It is missing something, though... Hold on..." She pulled something black out of her pocket. "Here we are!" She handed what she had found to me.

"Fingerless gloves?"

"Yep. I know you like them, so that's a present from me to you."

"Thanks."

"Welcome." I slipped on the gloves as Selene came out of the kitchen.

"Chocolate chip pancakes are served!" She began to hand out plates to everyone. Tadashi entered the kitchen as she was doing so, and I looked over to him. He looked tired, still.

"Morning, everyone..."

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He trudged over to the table and collapsed into his seat.

"You okay, dude? You look like you didn't get any sleep."

"Look at your sister and gamer boy for the answer you seek." I looked at Nolan and Iris who looked away at nothing. "They were up late playing Soul Calibur, and all I could hear was shouting coming from them when they lost."

"Who won?" Iris grinned.

"Me!" Nolan slouched in his seat.

"She *pwned me..."

"And you call yourself the master gamer in the household."

"Hey, just be thankful I'm not playing Rhyme." Selene placed a plate in front of Nolan.

"That's just because Momo nor Sonia want *AllMates in the house."

"Which sucks. AllMates nowadays are capable of so many things. Not to mention you can link them to your *coil."

"Coil?"

"That's what we forgot to give Ari!" Iris facepalmed. She pulled a watch looking thing out and handed it to me. "That's a coil. You can make calls, check your email, and play games on it." She opened a menu and showed me. "It's already got our contacts in it."

"Cool. Thanks."

"Welcome." I looked around and saw that everyone else was wearing one. 'How'd I miss that...?' I shook my head.

We all sat together through breakfast, talking about various things. Selene was still sitting in the kitchen, but I didn't ask why. Eventually Selene, Akane, Nolan, Eri, and Sonia left to go to work, leaving only me, Tadashi, and Iris.

"Okay, so what's the game plan?"

"A movie with The Rock and Madison Pettis."

"Ha ha, Iris." She grinned.

"I had to."

"You know I can't be mad at a movie reference. Damn you." She continued grinning. "Anyways, seriously, what are we going to do?"

"We should try her house. It's the most likely place where she'd be." I nodded.

"Do you guys know where that is?" They nodded.

"Yep. It's in the district really close to *Platinum Jail. It'll be a bit of a walk." I sighed.

"Of course... At least I seem to be in better shape here than I was back home." I stood. "We should get going. If she's in trouble, we need to get to her sooner than later." They nodded and stood.

"I'll lead the way!" And, once again, I was pulled along by Iris.

After a lot of walking (and complaining on my part) we finally arrived in front of Diana's home. It was a large mansion-like building, and it greatly contrasted from the other homes around it.

"So, do we knock or...?"

"Diana's parents are typically away on business, so she said if we ever visited to just walk in."

"They don't have a security system?"

"Umm..." Tadashi sighed.

"She gave us a code to disarm it. Don't worry, I have it memorized."

"You mean you've *got it memorized?" Iris laughed at my reference, while Tadashi shook his head.

"Let's just go." He hurried to the front door while Iris and I laughed and followed. He typed the code into a keypad and it blinked green before we entered inside. "Keep quiet. We don't want to spook anyone that's here." We calmed down and nodded.

I looked around at the house. It was spacious, and there were three entryways into other rooms. There was also a staircase that led to the second floor.

"So, what should we do?" I looked over at Tadashi and Iris.

"We should handle this very carefully. Summon your weapons and we'll check the first floor. We'll come back here when we're finished, and if we don't find anything, we'll head upstairs." Iris and I nodded.

"Shinsetsu!" My sword appeared in my hand, and I gripped the hilt tightly. Iris summoned her sabers after me.

"Gisei!" Tadashi was the last to summon his katana. "Ari, you check the kitchen. Iris, you've got the dining room, and I'll take the living room." We nodded, and then headed in the different directions we'd been assigned.

I entered the kitchen slowly, and then looked around. The room was kinda rounded, and it had a bar like area that circled the actual kitchen part. There was an island behind the bar, and the kitchen circled the wall.

"Anybody in here?" I walked forward cautiously. I held Shinsetsu so tight that my knuckles were turning white. I circled the bar and the island, and I didn't see anyone or anything. I looked at the fridge and saw there was a note on it.

 _Diana,  
If you ever decide to get your act together and come home, we'll be away for a few months. Feel free to take care of yourself. Don't expect anything from us.  
-Your Parents_

"Geez... World's best parents, ladies and gentlemen..." I looked down. "Makes both of my actual parents seem like saints... At least Dad just left... He didn't tell me to go to hell..." I shook my head.

I checked the rest of the room for anything where someone could be and any clues that could tell me what happened. There was nothing, although I did take a few grapes from the fridge... Okay, maybe a lot...

 _Anyways_ , after I was done, I headed back to the foyer and waited for Iris and Tadashi. I kept my guard up just in case anything happened.

I didn't have to wait too long for them to come back. I stood up and looked at them.

"So, we head upstairs?" Tadashi nodded.

"Yes. We'll check the different rooms individually. We'll see if there is anyone here, and if not, we check if there is anything hinting to her whereabouts."

"Right." We went upstairs, and a hallway came into view. There were six rooms, three on each side of the hall. There were windows in between the doors, and chandeliers on the ceiling.

"Iris, you check the middle two doors. I can check the first two." Tadashi turned to me. "Ari, are you okay doing the last two?" I nodded.

"I think so. I'll just scream at the top of my lungs if I think I'm going to die."

"Well, if you die, Iris and I will cease to exist, so just keep that in mind." I deadpanned.

"Thanks for the added pressure and guilt, bruh. It's really appreciated."

"I'm just stating the facts."

"*Never tell me the facts." Iris gave me a thumbs-up while Tadashi sighed and turned to go search his rooms. I walked with Iris to her doors.

"Be careful, Sis."

"I will be, Iris. Don't worry." Iris nodded before she entered one of her rooms. I sighed as I walked down to mine. I looked back and forth between the two. The left one was closed, while the right one was open. 'I'm right handed... so I'll go right.' I walked inside and looked around.

It was a study. There were bookcases lining the walls, and there was a messy desk in the middle of the room. A ladder was propped up against the wall so that you could climb up and reach the books at the top.

I was quick in searching the room, and I sighed when I was done. 'I guess I go across the hall now...' I turned and left the room. I kept a tight hold on Shinsetsu. '3... 2... 1...' I opened the door and found myself in a really pink girl's bedroom. And I mean _really_ pink. Someone was lying on the bed, and they looked at me before jumping up.

"Azazel!" In a flash, I found the blade of a scythe wrapped behind my neck. My eyes widened.

"What the hell?!"

"Who are you?! Are you one of them?!" I looked at the person, who I now saw was a girl with pink hair and blue eyes. She had strange protruding veins on half of her face, that were partially covered by her hair.

"I have no idea who the hell you're talking about. I'm Ari Walker, and I'm not whoever you think I am." She squinted at me.

"Ari Walker... Do you mean you're-?" Iris ran in with her swords.

"Di, it's us! Calm down, she really is Ari!" She lowered her scythe and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Iris... Why did you guys come here?"

"Why did you think? We were looking for you." She frowned.

"Why? I'm perfectly fine... It's just that that crazy bitch is after me again with those... _friends_ of hers."

"Di, you know it is safer at Sukui than it is here."

"Hasu's spell won't keep _her_ out! I don't know how many times I have to tell you that! Azazel is the only person that can protect me!" 'Who is Azazel...? I wonder if that is the name of her scythe...'

"Di, you have to come back." Iris lifted the sword in her right hand. "There's always the forceful method." Iris's eyes were glazed over. She was going into some zone I wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of.

"Go ahead and try." She swung her scythe. "If you win, I'll go back." Iris nodded.

"Deal. I'm just letting you know I won't lose."

"We'll see." It was silent for a moment, and then everything began to speed up. Iris rushed forward at Diana and swung both swords down at her. Diana blocked the attack and then jumped back and landed on the bed. Iris jumped up after her and swung again. Their blades clanged and they were pushing against the other's blade to try and get control.

"Ari, move!" I got tackled to the ground when a shot of black energy came at me. I looked up and saw Tadashi covering me.

"Tadashi, are you okay?!" He nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He grabbed my hand and helped me up. "Come on. We need to get you out of here." He pulled me along and we ran out of the room.

"What about Iris?!"

"She'll be fine! She was right in saying she won't lose. Not against Diana." We ran downstairs and then outside. I doubled over and panted.

"Why did she think I was going to attack her? She asked me if I was 'one of them'. What does that mean?"

"We don't know. We just assume she means the enemies of her family." He shook his head. "I don't honestly know." I dismissed Shinsetsu.

"How come you took me out of there?"

"You aren't ready to battle. Even if you think you can because of Traverse Town, you aren't truly. Shadows are weak. Diana is weak, too, but she has more experience fighting than you. She would kill you."

"When will I be able to fight?"

"You need training. Luckily you live in a house full of very capable fighters. Hasu and Momo will probably be your teachers, though." I looked down and clenched my fists.

"I hate being weak... I always have and always will..." Tadashi put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up.

"This world is different, Ari." You aren't who you were on Earth. Think of all you've done and seen in the short time you've been here. You may not think so, but what you did in Traverse Town is amazing for someone who has never fought before." He smiled. "You'll get better in no time. Iris and I both know that you will."

"If I'm not who I was... who does that make me now...?" I put my hand to my head. "I still have all of _her_ memories... I still have all of her doubts and insecurities... I'm still flawed like her..." I shook my head. "Then who am I if not her?"

"You've been reborn. You're Ari Raine Walker. Your parents are Artemis Alexandra and Azrael Walker, and your sister is Iris Lily Walker. You are someone new. Yes, you are _her_ , but you're something this world has never seen before. Mezame needs you, and it knows you're the only person capable of doing it. I know that you truly are atheist, but you have to have faith in at least the people who are here for you. All of us at Sukui have your back."

"I feel like I'm talking to Annoying Nag... This conversation is super deep..." I wiped my eyes for a few tears that had fallen. "I'll try... Anything is possible in this impossible world..." I smiled. "And, let's tell people I believe in Saisei, okay? I'd rather not get stabbed for being atheist. Not to mention it kinda fits me." He nodded.

"Alright." Just then, the front door slammed open, and we saw Iris huffing while holding an unconscious Diana over her shoulder.

"I think she's been doing steroids or PCP while she's been gone... This chick took forever to knock out." I looked at Iris's dress and saw it didn't look like it had one rip. She was unscathed everywhere. Diana had a few cuts on her arms, though.

"Are you okay, Iris?" I walked over to her.

"Yeah. I'm fine, Sis." I looked at Diana.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Yeah. I finally got close enough to use a technique one of the Saisei monks taught me." She grinned. "Good old pressure point trick works every time. It always did on me."

"Why did they pinch your pressure point?"

"Have you met me?"

"Point made." She readjusted Diana.

"Let's hurry up and take her home. Rich girl here ain't exactly light." She poked Diana's midsection. "Damn bonbons or whatever the hell they eat..." I looked at Diana's face and saw the strange veins again.

"What's up with her face? Is that normal?" We began to walk.

"Tada-chan, it's story time."

"I'm amazed. You don't want to tell the story yourself?"

"Hell no. I just spent an hour of my life trying to not get impaled by a scythe. When Diana wakes up, she is getting a fricking punch in her stupid face." Iris huffed when she was done ranting.

"Forget I asked." Tadashi sighed. "Anyways, the reason for the veins is because she has an extremely rare disease that's life threatening. Typically, you're born with the disease, and you die early in your childhood. Diana, however, somehow escaped that fate." Tadashi looked at her. "Usually the veins protrude on both sides, so it's strange how she only has them on the left side of her face. Honestly, it's amazing she's even alive. The odds were not in her favor in the very least."

"Maybe it worked like The Sims, and she literally beat Death."

"I highly doubt that's the case, Sis." I shrugged.

"Hey, I'm just trying to come up with some sort of logical explanation for it."

"Logic ain't got nothing to do with white girl over here." Iris grunted, trying to keep Diana up. "Seriously, I'm about to f'ing drag her."

"Iris, language. Tadashi is just a baby." Tadashi frowned.

"You do realize I'm a year older than you, right?"

"No, I was not aware. It doesn't matter, though. You both are technically babies compared to me, considering your are brand new beings and all. You both are my brain babies."

"I'm starting to feel uncomfortable."

"Me too. I'm going to stop talking, now."

"Wait, then who is our brain dad?"

"Iris, drop it."

"No, I need to know now."

"Seriously, no."

"Come on, guys! I want to know!"

"Iris, no!"

And it continued like that all the way home... and even after we arrived home...

"She should be fine. Minor damage on her body will take a very short while to heal." Momo stood up and sighed. "I already cast a healing spell on her, so now she just needs to rest." She looked back towards Diana. "I'll keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't try leaving again. Sukui is the safest place for her if there really are people after her."

"She's gotten stronger. Her veins have disappeared a lot more, too." Iris looked over at Diana. "I'd like to know what she's been doing while she's been away... The growth she's showing is immense. More than any normal human being can pull off..." Iris smirked. "Still can't beat me, though."

"I think we should be more concerned with her welfare rather than your winning streak, Iris. This is kinda serious." (Heh... Only kinda...)

"I wasn't trying to go off topic. I just wanted to state a fact. I'm a frickin' badass, man."

"And modest too, apparently." Iris stuck her tongue out at Tadashi.

"Calm down. Anger has a tendency of waking people up."

"Sorry." Momo nodded.

"You three went through a lot. Go and relax until everyone arrives home." She looked at Diana. "She needs to rest... I'll make sure she doesn't go anywhere..."

"Okay." We exited the room and looked downstairs. Iris looked over at Tadashi and me.

"I'll go make us some lunch." She looked between us. "What do you guys want?"

"What do we have?"

"No. Uh-uh. We aren't starting that crap, Ari."

"What? I was just wondering what there was."

"Ari, Sukui is a café. We almost always have some sort of food at home that is tasty."

"Well, I don't know if this world has different foods or not. I don't know what's changed and what hasn't."

"We have everything Earth has got, plus a little more."

"That is, in regards to food. Not _everything_ from Earth is here."

"Paramore is real... meaning that there are copies of people..."

"Right." I thought for a moment.

"Then... are my mom and dad real here?"

"They aren't real here, Ari. They may exist in some form here, but they aren't the same. They may not even know each other." I nodded.

"So... it's like how Ari and me are the same, yet not at the same time."

"Correct." I frowned.

"So how come some people here exist how they did back home but others don't?"

"Parallel worlds and different places entirely. Not everything can be the same because their existences aren't the same."

"Wow... That... really makes me feel lonely, in a way..." I looked down. "I'm the only person in this world that has to live with knowing of a different reality..." Iris walked over and hugged me.

"I know it's a lot, Sis, but you're so strong. You always have been."

"I didn't have a choice back home..."

"I know..." Iris looked at me. "But you're here, now. You aren't Ari, and you aren't who you were. You're just you." Iris leaned her forehead against mine. "Without you, Tadashi and I would be nothing. You mean so much to us in so many different ways. We love you and want you to be okay. You don't have to be alone, because if nothing else, you have us. We won't ever leave you." I felt tears beginning to fall from my eyes.

"I don't want to be lonely anymore... I don't want to be useless and weak... I just want to change..."

"We know you do. We'll be here to help every step of the way, Ari..." She put her hand on my head. "You got that?" I nodded, which made her smile. "Good..." She moved her arms away and then stretched. "I'm in the mood for some Chinese food. What about you guys?"

"You know how to make Chinese food?"

"Yeppers. Aunt Selene has passed down her cooking knowledge to me."

"I'm up for some. How about you, Tadashi?"

"As long as you don't put *Sichuan in mine, again..."

"Can't promise anything. Sometimes it gets a little crazy in the kitchen."

"I don't feel confident in you."

"That's probably a safe bet, Bud."

"Oh, so I'm Bud now?"

"Oops. My mistake, Tada-chan." He sighed.

"Me and my big mouth." I laughed.

"Poor Tadashi."

"I should really be used to it by now."

"You should." He sighed again while Iris ran off to the kitchen. Tadashi followed her while I lagged behind. 'Stop thinking about Earth... You have a chance at happiness, so don't mess it up..." I sighed before following after my guardians.


	9. Chapter 7, Part 1: Introductions

In-tro-duc-tion: a thing preliminary to something else; the action of introducing something

"I think you killed him, Iris."

"I think you're right. Oops."

"You din't ki' meh. Ma tong is super num'."

"He said not to put Sichuan."

"Well, I can't help that Tada-chan isn't a Latino. How was I supposed to know he can't handle spices like us?"

"Again, the fact that he asked you to _not_ put the spice in his food." Iris shrugged.

"Hey, it could've been worse. I could have put ghost peppers in his food." Tadashi looked over at Iris.

"Don't even joke about dat."

"Yeah, even I can't handle spice like that." Iris sighed and shoved a glass of milk in his face.

"Just quit bitching and drink the damn milk." He took the glass and began to sip on it.

"Oh no, Tadashi's drinking milk. What did he eat this time?" Selene walked in.

"Yummy pepper steak with a little bit of Sichuan." I raised an eyebrow at Iris.

"A little?" She sighed.

"Fine... A whole bunch of Sichuan." Selene put her stuff down.

"Iris, too much spice ruins a good dish."

"I'm well aware of that, Aunt Selene. I couldn't help it. It was right there, asking me to use it."

"And this is why you aren't a cook anywhere in Midorijima except for here."

"Hey, I only do stuff like this to Tadashi."

"You aren't helping your case, Iris."

"Fine..." Selene walked over and patted Tadashi's back.

"Just drink your milk and eat some bread. The numbness will stop sooner than later."

"Dank you." She nodded before looking at me and Iris.

"Momo messaged us and told us Diana was back home. How did that go?"

"Well, Di ended up being at her house. She was crazed, though. Not to mention her veins are beginning to heal up more." Iris shook her head. "She was more delusional than usual. She attacked us. Luckily, I fought her and knocked her out."

"Attacked you? Di's done some crazy things in the past, but that's a bit extreme."

"She's gotten stronger. I can definitely tell you that..." Selene nodded.

"You're all okay, right?"

"Yeah. Di has a few scratches, but we're alright." I looked down.

"Ari?"

"I almost got killed... If not by her scythe, then by that aura attack..." I looked up. "If Tadashi hadn't gotten me to the ground, I'm not sure I'd be here right now."

"Sis, that was -"

"I hate being useless! I have the means to protect myself, but I have no idea what the hell I'm doing!" I shook my head. "Sure, I defended myself in Traverse Town, but that was honestly a stroke of luck. Then the alley and Diana... If no one was there for me..." I clenched my fist. "I have nothing... I don't even know who I am..."

"Okay then. Summon Shinsetsu." I looked up at Selene.

"Huh?"

"Summon Shinsetsu." I tilted my head.

"Shinetsu!" The sword appeared in my hand.

"Let's go." Selene took her jacket off and gestured for me to follow her.

"What are we doing?" She stopped and turned towards me.

"You don't know how to fight, so we're going to teach you."

"Seriously?!" She nodded.

"Uh-huh." She gestured again. "Let's not waste time. I have to be back to the restaurant to help Sonia with some things." I followed after her, and so did Iris.

"Ah'm goin' teh join-uh yuh guyzz latr." We turned to Tadashi.

"Okay. We'll see you whenever, then." He nodded as he went back to his milk. I smiled as we continued walking. 'This is awesome...'

"Okay, first off is getting used to the feel and weight of your weapon." Selene held out her hand. "Strength!" Butterflies made of light flew around her hand and then quickly dispersed in a flash. A dagger that looked to be made of pure light was now in her hand. "This is my weapon... Strength isn't the name, but it somehow summons it. I'm not sure how..." She smiled. "But I don't care." She swung it in her hand in fluid movements. "You try." I nodded and took a deep breath.

I grasped Shinsetsu's hilt tighter, and then I swung the sword with one hand. I switched hands, seeing if I could wield it in the other hand. It felt strange, so I moved it back to my other hands.

"Since you use a katana, you may want to use both hands." I nodded, and then held it like you would a baseball bat. 'Okay... Dominant hand over your other hand...' I swung it around, awkwardly, and Selene laughed. "You gotta loosen up, kiddo." I nodded and then relaxed my muscles. I swung again, and it was a much cleaner swing. "See: you're a natural. You'll have this down in no time." I smiled.

"I hope so." I swung it again.

"It'll get easier the more you practice." I inwardly winced at the word "practice". 'Ugh... I hate practicing...' I swung my sword with more force. 'I should be able to get it the first time like everything but art and video games...' I swung to my left. 'The things I love are the most difficult for me to do... It isn't fair...' I let out a frustrated scream as I made a slash that spanned away from me. I startled both Selene and Iris, causing both to have startled expressions.

(The gif at the top is the same movement Ari did when she screamed, except hers was not as destructive. :P)

"Damn, Sis! You're really getting into it." I lowered my sword, relaxed my stance, and let out a breath.

"I'm... just letting out some frustration... That's all..." I held up my hand. "Shinsetsu!" The sword disappeared.

"We'll take a break for now. Honestly, Tadashi, Hasu, or Momo would be better to teach you since they have similar fighting styles with their swords." I nodded.

"Don't worry though, Selene. You definitely helped me. My movements are already a lot cleaner than before." She smiled.

"Glad I could help, even if it wasn't much." She held up her hand. "Disperse." Her dagger broke apart into light butterflies that flew away.

"What _do_ Hasu and Momo fight with?" Selene looked at me.

"Hasu is primarily a magic user, but she uses a rapier on occasion. Momo can use her beast form or she fights in her humanoid form with a sword and shield."

"I guess everyone here is ranged in their abilities." Selene nodded.

"People in Midorijima in general have a varied range of skills. You'll get to meet people from various walks of life tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?" She nodded.

"Sukui is a hangout place on Saturday nights for underage kids. Most adults meet up at the 7th Heaven bar run by our friend, Tifa."

"Oh..." I thought for a moment. "So it's Friday?"

"Yeah. You didn't know?" I shook my head.

"I've been a _bit_ caught up."

"That's true. We've all been pretty busy trying to get you accustomed to life here." Selene nodded in agreement.

"That's why tomorrow night will be a great opportunity for you. Iris and Tadashi can introduce you to their friends." I looked over at Iris who grinned at me. I smiled back at her and nodded.

"Sounds great." Selene smiled.

"Good to hear." She sighed. "You can probably get some training in tomorrow since Sukui doesn't open until later in the day. Everyone should be home to help out..."

"She's awake!" We all turned at that moment, to see Tadashi running towards us. He stopped in front of us and doubled over to catch his breath. "Diana's awake. She isn't happy." Selene stepped forward.

"Is Hasu home yet?" Tadashi shook his head.

"No. She said she wouldn't be back until later since there is more work than she thought." Selene nodded.

"If she needs to be restrained, I can only do so much... It won't hold too long." Selene looked over to Iris. "I'll need your help." Iris nodded.

"Gotcha." Selene and Iris ran off, leaving me and Tadashi on the training ground.

"Shouldn't we go, too?" Tadashi shook his head.

"It's safer that you don't for the time being. If Diana goes rage mode, there is no telling what will happen."

"She Hulks out?"

"That's one way of putting it." Tadashi smiled at me. "I think the same can be said about you when you're angry." I smiled.

"Yeah, and I've got a weapon now. Beware the anger of Ari." I grinned. "I can actually kinda shank people now." Tadashi frowned.

"I don't think that's something to be excited about..." I shrugged.

"I don't think I'd do anything like that..."

"Think makes me feel confident in your word..." I laughed.

"Chill out, dude. I'm messing with you."

"Sure you are..."

"So, what do we do for the time being?"

"I could help you train. I think it would help since we use the same weapon type." I nodded.

"Okay... Maybe I'll get less frustrated this time... No offense to Selene or anything..." I sighed. "I just... I want to be stronger..." I looked down. "Everyone back home... Well, most people... they thought I was weak. I always got made fun of because I was weak, sensitive, and naïve..." I shook my head. "I refuse to be that way here." I looked up at Tadashi. "I can't waste time while I'm here. Every moment counts."

"It will take a little bit of time. It won't come to you instantly, but I have faith you'll show immense growth in no time." He held out his hand. "Gisei!" The black and blue sword appeared in his hand. "Let's begin."

"Shinsetsu!" I let out a deep breath. "Okay, so what's first?" He held his katana in the typical samurai way (It's probably the proper way :P).

"First, mirror what I do." I nodded as I grasped my sword with both hands. "This specific stance is called seigan no kamae. I'll simply refer to it as seigan." He moved his left leg back and his right forward. I copied. "Using a katana is similar to normal sword fighting, but some movements are a little different since the hilts and blades are different."

"Makes sense." He nodded.

"When blocking an upper-frontal attack, you'll want to block in this stance." He moved his sword into a horizontal position that covered the lower half of his face and his chest. I moved mine into the same position after observing the stance. "Good. This stance is called tachi no tori, or as I call it, Tachi."

"Now, if you were on the ground it would be the same stance and placement for your katana, but you'd be crouched on the ground." He got down on one knee. "You don't have to copy this, you just need to have this knowledge."

"Okay." He stood back up.

"Now, I'm going to go through some battle movements. Watch first, and then you can try." I nodded. He took a deep breath before he readied himself. He instantly went into his movements, and I watched in awe.

Once he was done, I tried the best I could to copy them. It was a bit stiff, but overall I had them down. He gave me a few places I could improve, and how to improve them.

We repeated that same process again and again until Iris finally came back outside. I collapsed on the ground, panting.

"Ari, you aren't supposed to collapse until you catch your breath." I looked at Iris.

"Does it... look like... I give a damn about that... right now...?" I sat up. "God, I'm out of shape."

"Ari, you're a Saisei believer. You say Aries, not God."

"Seriously... don't care right now..." Iris helped me to my feet.

"I'm just messing with you." She punched my arm playfully, although it felt like a full on punch. Iris is much stronger than she looks. _Much_ stronger.

"Damn, that hurt..." I rubbed my arm.

"You're such a softie, Sis."

"Sure. I am. I don't care... I've heard that so many times back home..."

"You know I didn't mean it like that." I sighed.

"I know... Sorry." Iris waved her hand.

"It's fine. It was my fault, anyway."

"So how is Diana?" Iris blinked at Tadashi's question.

"Huh? Oh, right! Di is physically okay, but she is kinda really pissed right now. She has stopped freaking out, though. Aunt Selene already left to go back to work."

"That's good." Iris looked at me.

"Oh, and she wants to see you, Sis." I blinked.

"What? Why me?" Iris shrugged.

"I don't know. All she said was that she wanted to see you." I frowned.

"Umm, does she forget the fact that she TRIED KILLING ME EARLIER?! Why in the world would I go and visit her?!"

"You don't have to. All I'm saying is that she sounded like she wanted to see you." I took a deep breath before sighing.

"Momo will be in there, right?" Iris nodded.

"Yep. The entire time." I sighed.

"Shinsetsu!" The sword dispersed in light, and I began walking back towards the house. "Let's get this over with..." Iris and Tadashi followed after me as I walked quickly. 'Well, let's hope I don't die...'

"You really don't have to do this, Sis. If I have to, I could just knock her out again."

"Iris, I'll be fine. I'm curious to see what she wants to talk to me about. And Momo's there, so I'll be alright if anything happens." Iris nodded.

"Just be careful, Ari." I looked at Tadashi and nodded.

"I will." I turned to the door and took a deep breath. I knocked and awaited the okay.

"Come in." I turned the knob and peeked inside before entering. Diana was sitting up in the bed while Momo stood to the side with her arms crossed. Diana really did look pissed. "Please close the door. You're letting in the heat from the hall." I nodded before closing the door. I turned back to Diana.

I glanced quickly around the room. The walls were white and the carpet was an off-white. To the left of the bed, there was a white armchair next to large windows lining the wall. The bed had white and blue sheets, pillows, and blankets.

"You wanted to see me?" She gestured for me to move closer.

"Don't stand over there. I'm having trouble hearing after your sister practically killed me." I moved closer, cautiously, and frowned.

"She didn't do much damage." Diana rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. She still owes me an apology."

"You _are_ the one who started the fight in the first place. She doesn't owe you any sort of apology." Diana glared at me.

"God, you really _are_ her sister. You both don't know when to stop pushing people's buttons." She sighed in frustration. " _Anyway_ , I did need to speak to you."

"Why? You almost killed me earlier. Besides, you didn't seem to trust anything I say."

"That's why I needed to talk to you. I've decided for myself that you really aren't one of them." She nodded. "Azazel confirmed it for me." I frowned. 'Azazel again... Who is that...?'

"So, how did they find you after all these years? I just figured you had died or something considering it took 16 years of searching." 'Damn, this chick is really blunt... She has _so_ much faith in people, doesn't she?'

"I'm not sure how I got here to Midorijima, and I don't really remember anything from my past." I shook my head. "I just woke up in Traverse Town one day with no memories whatsoever... I have no idea about who I am, or who I was. And then I blacked out and woke up in my room here."

"So you were in Traverse Town when everything went to hell? What happened?"

"I was in a shop, eating, when this odd looking girl came out in the middle of the square and collapsed. She disappeared and..." I thought for a second, "this black creature with yellow eyes appeared and started attacking other people." Diana's eyebrow rose.

"A heartless?" Even Momo looked surprised.

"A heartless emerged from her... I thought we were rid of them once and for all... This isn't good... If they were there, the chances of them reaching Midorjima is high." Momo's tail flicked. "I need to go somewhere. I'll bring Tadashi in. Try not to kill each other or burn down the house." We nodded. Momo ran out of the room and Tadashi entered in shortly after.

"What was that all about?" I shook my head.

"She went on a rant about heartless and then ran out of here."

"Heartless? How did that come up in the discussion?"

"I was telling them about what happened in Traverse Town."

"There were heartless there?" I nodded.

"Yeah..."

"That explains a lot, then..."

"I'm confused." Diana nodded in agreement.

"You and me both. Mind explaining, Tadashi?" He frowned.

"I love how you two are teaming up on me." He sighed. "Well... to a lot of people nowadays, the heartless are a bedtime story. Midorijima has never really seen any monsters or creatures like them, so here a lot of the population is oblvious to them. To those from the continents, though, that story is all too real."

"Heartless have existed for as long as we humans have existed. They dwell and feed on the darkness in people's hearts. When a heart is released with someone's death, a heartless is formed. They attack other people because they crave the hearts that they lack." He paused for a minute.

"Some areas of the world were able to rid themselves of the heartless through the help of keyblade wielders. In some parts, heartless aren't released when you did. If one heartless was able to pass into these safe zones, though, then they'd make it hell."

"Many places in the continents are protected, while others are not. It depends on the influence of keyblade wielders in those areas... It doesn't mean that every place with keyblade wielders is safe, though." Tadashi looked at me. "If you lived in an area susceptible to their threat, then you may have very well brought them with you." My eyes widened.

"What? How did I bring them? I'm not dead, and I don't think I ever have been."

"The heartless are like a disease. However, the disease spreads without people knowing. If you were around them, you may have caught said disease. It just doesn't appear until you're dead."

"I... I could be the cause of a heartless epidemic...?"

"There is no way to make certain of it. We can't be sure you actually have it in you or not..." I held my forehead in my hand.

"This is great..."

"This is the problem with the continents. They're so dangerous and everyone decides to bring their problems here. It was peaceful here before all these immigrants moved here." I looked at Diana.

"It's not like we're doing this to purposefully screw you over. We just want to have somewhere we feel safe without or way of life being threatened." I knew I wasn't speaking of immigrants from Mezame necessarily. The topic brought my mind back home for a moment. I knew I would get rid of some anger for the situation back home out safely in Mezame.

"That doesn't change the fact that you people have been more of a problem than a help." I clenched my fist.

"It's ignorant people like you that piss me off..." I felt myself all of a sudden getting extremely warm. "You're so caught up in your own little, pathetic world that you don't care about what happens to others like us..." The warmth continued to grow as I clenched my fists tighter. Tadashi put his hand on my shoulder.

"Ari." I turned towards him as I let go of some of the tension in my hand. I felt myself cool off a little. "Calm down. Take a deep breath." I breathed slowly before nodding. I took in a deep breath, and let it out. I then turned back to Diana.

"People like you... There isn't any point in wasting my time on people who will never change..." I turned to leave the room until I remembered something. I turned back to Diana. "Oh, and I accept your apology for almost killing me." She glared at me as I turned and left. Iris, who was sitting on the ground, looked over to me as I walked out.

"Everything go alright?" I looked down and nodded.

"More or less..." She stood up and walked over to me.

"What happened?"

"I was talking about what happened in Traverse Town, and apparently it led to me talking about the heartless who attacked me... And Tadashi explained that I might be infected by them..."

"What? That... No, you're probably fine..." I frowned.

"I don't want to be the cause of something like that... I don't want to get innocent people killed..."

"You won't, okay? I know you won't. Don't worry about that one bit. Try to focus on what is happening in the present. I know you have a hard time doing that, but you have to at least try." She put her hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eyes. "Got that, Sis?" I hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah... I've got it..." She smiled.

"Good." Just then, Iris got a call on her coil. She blinked as she pressed a button to answer it. "What's up, Sonny?"

"I swear, you're as bad as your aunt... Anyways, is Ari there with you?"

"Present."

"Good. I just wanted to let you know that Akane, Eri, and Nolan will be heading back soon. The rest of us will be out later than normal, so try not to do anything stupid like burn the house down. Also, that means you're in charge of dinner, Iris."

"Yay!" I frowned at her.

"Don't worry, Sonia. I'll make sure she doesn't poison anyone."

"Thank you, Ari. We'll see you later."

"See ya." She hung up and I looked at Iris.

"I wonder what that was all about..."

"Yeah. That's kinda strange for them. They can handle themselves, though. They'll be fine, no matter what they're doing." I nodded.

"I still am wondering where Momo went, though."

"Yeah. And I'm still wondering why all the adults think we're going to burn the house down... No faith, man..." I laughed.

"I can't blame them. I do kinda like fire." I smiled. "Fire is such a fascinating thing."

"I don't think I've ever heard fangirling over fire, unless it was an arsonist."

"I'm not an arsonist, Iris."

 _"Aren't you?"_ I shook my head.

"I'm not."

"I can't be sure of that. I don't know what goes on in that brain of yours, since you won't let me..."

"Mostly stress and thinking about fictional dudes."

"Seems legit."

"Or, I should probably say stressing about fictional dudes. Yeah. That seems more accurate."

"You shouldn't stress over fictional dudes, nor should you stress about real dudes. The male of the species is 'special'." She did air quotes when she said "special".

"Well, in their defense, the female of the species isn't any better. Half the time I can't even stand people of my own gender."

"We do get pretty annoying sometimes."

"That's an understatement..." Iris put her hand to her chin.

"I wonder what I should make..."

"Tacos. We should eat tacos." She thought about it.

"Man, Ari. You just want food from around your world, today."

"Tacos are good, though. They're one of the few Mexican stereotypes I allow myself."

"I can make all this crazy, delicious food, and all you want is tacos?"

"Sí, señorita." She sighed.

"Fine. I'll make tacos this _one_ time. But if you want them from here on out, you either have to convince Aunt Selene or go to Taco Bell."

"But Taco Bell makes them soggy."

"Nah. Taco Bell in Midorijima tastes good."

"If I decide to try it, I'll hold you to that."

"That's cool." Iris grinned. "Oh the spices and seasonings I can use..."

"No. There will be none of that. We are not going to destroy poor Tadashi's taste buds."

"You're not fun!"

"I've been told that before. We all know my comedy is great at times, though."

"True. Especially the type when no one sees it coming and they take a minute to process it."

"I am the master of that. Thank you *Mercury in Aries." She laughed.

"I'll go start dinner. Aka's stomach is like a bottomless pit. She's bound to be hungry when she gets home." I nodded.

"Okay. I'll watch, considering earlier events in the day..."

"Aw, Sis. You don't have to watch me. I'll be good."

"Yeah, I don't trust that."

"Yeesh. You're such a goody two-shoes."

"Please don't call me that..."

"I forgot. You've got a complex about that."

"I hate it so much... I hate that that is all people see in me, sometimes. There is so much more to me than people want to see..." I sighed. "That's why this life is so much better... I can start over, more or less."

"I'm really sorry, Sis."

"It's okay Iris. I'm not mad." I took a deep breath. "Let's go. We don't want to get bitten by Akane."

"True." We laughed a little before heading downstairs.

"Wassup, *Bishies!" Akane, Eri, and Nolan walked in while we were finishing up dinner. "Smells good. Whatcha making?"

"Tacos. Ari apparently doesn't think much of my cooking prowess."

"I never said that. I just wanted tacos."

"Same difference." Iris looked at Akane. "Hey, can you try and convince Di to come to dinner? I think if Ari or I try to do it, someone may get hurt."

"Diana is actually home? How is she?"

"Pissy. That's how she is." I nodded in agreement.

"She almost killed me, so yeah. Pissy."

"I'll try. I can't promise anything, though."

"Well, Tadashi is in there, so you can kick her ass together if things get out of hand."

"Do you have a weapon, Akane?" She smiled and nodded.

"Yup." She held out her hand. "Flora!" A bow that looked like tree branches appeared in her hand. She lifted it up and stroked it. "This is my baby."

"How do you shoot arrows if you don't have any?"

"The arrows are made of energy. If I pull back and release the string, it shoots."

"Cool..." She smiled as she dismissed her bow.

"Glad you think so. I personally think so, too."

"I bet." Akane sighed.

"Well... Wish me luck." She hurried off, and I turned to the boys.

"Do you guys have weapons?" Nolan pulled out a kunai.

"I don't summon." He spun it in his hands. "This is the only one on me currently."

"You just randomly carry kunai with you?"

"Yep."

"Seems legit." I looked at Eri. "What about you Eri?"

"I have a spear." It appeared in his hand. "No name needed." I smiled.

"That's awesome." I examined. "It's crazy how intricate some of the details are." I looked at him. "I'm really impressed. I can barely use my katana, so using a spear is really great." I saw the slightest of blushes on his face.

"Thank you." He dismissed his spear and I sighed. Right as we had finished talking, there was a loud thump from upstairs.

"Welp. Someone just died."

"Iris!"

"What? I'm being realistic." I sighed.

"I can go-" I put my hand in front of Nolan to stop him.

"If Iris's idiotic theory-"

"Hey!" I sighed and muttered under my breath.

"If Iris is correct, then we don't need more casualties."

"You make it sound like a warzone."

"It could very well be a warzone." And in time to answer our question, Tadashi, Diana, and Akane entered the room. "Never mind. They're alive."

"Why wouldn't we be?"

"No reason." Iris sighed as she turned the burner off.

"Le food is le ready. Sit le asses down and wait for the food." Akane was in her seat before Iris even finished talking.

"Food!" Eri shook his head as he walked towards his seat. Everyone sat down except for me.

"I'll help." Iris looked at me.

"Nah, Ari. It's cool."

"Iris, you have a lot of stuff here."

"It'll be quicker if you let me help." I gestured to Akane. "Plus, I think _she_ might bite someone soon." Iris looked over at her.

"Point made." She pointed to a few things. "You're on lettuce, cheese, and shell duty. I'll get the rest."

"Aye, aye." I picked up my items and then walked over to the table.

"I'm glad you're back, Di. I was really worried about you."

"It wasn't my choice to come back. I was forced to." I placed my things on the table. 'Way to be a jerk... God she is pissy...'

"Well, now that you're back, are you going to come back to work?"

"Not unless someone holds a gun to my head. I really _don't_ want to go back there, and I really don't want to be around people."

"She can't come back to work, anyways." We looked over at Iris who placed the remaining things down on the table. "Di is under supervision now." She frowned.

"What?! Why?!"

"You broke some of Sonia's rules. You know how seriously she takes them."

"Are you fricking kidding me?"

"I kid you not." Diana mumbled some things under her breath that I won't be repeating here. If our lives were a reality show, there would have been a lot of bleeping in Diana's case.

"Well, eat up." Everyone began to grab some food, except for Tadashi who closed his eyes.

"Itadakimasu." He reopened his eyes and began to get his food. 'He's so proper all the time... I wonder why... I don't think I made him like that... He's definitely different than his original form...' I glanced at him. 'Especially hair wise.'

"You okay?" I blinked.

"Hmm?" Tadashi looked at me with a worried expression. "O-Oh, sorry... I was zoning out. You just happened to be where my sight stopped..."

"It's fine. I was just worried. You looked a bit confused."

"No... I'm fine." He nodded.

"Just making sure."

"Ari, hurry up and get eating. You're the one that wanted them in the first place." I turned to Iris and stuck out my tongue.

"Calm down. I'll eat. Yeesh."

"Don't stick your tongue out at me unless you want me to summon my sword and cut it off."

"Ew. That's graphic. Let's not do that."

"Then you better keep your tongue in your mouth." I saluted her.

"Yes, ma'am." She grinned.

"Good." I grabbed some food, and listened to the others as they talked about various things. The way they were interacting was as if Diana had never been gone and hadn't tried to kill several of us earlier that day. Just watching for that short while showed how close-knit Sukui was. It also reminded me of how apart I was from them, and of a feeling I was lacking.

The feeling of having a true family.

"So where did Momo go?" Everyone looked at me, making me want to shrink down in my seat and disappear.

"We saw her in cat form at Sukui when we were leaving. She seemed a little panicked. She went in the back to find Hasu."

"Weird. She just took off without really saying anything to us."

"It may be because of what we were discussing earlier."

"You really think so?" Tadashi nodded.

"Wait, what were you talking about earlier?" Tadashi looked over to Akane.

"You can't tell anyone outside of Sukui. If you do, we'll have a lot of problems."

"We promise. You know you can trust us." Tadashi nodded and sighed.

"When Ari was in the Traverse Town incident, she saw everything going on. The cause of the incident was heartless." Their eyes widened.

"What? They were actually there?"

"Yeah... They made quick work of the people there... I think I was the only one who made it out of there... but I really don't know... I don't remember too much..."

"Momo is very scared by heartless." We looked at Eri. "Not that anyone cares for them much. They are something to truly worry about on the continents, though. We don't have the same safeguards that islands do since it would require too much magic."

"So anyone from the outside of here is susceptible to the heartless?" Eri nodded.

"Yes. The thing is when people come to Midorijima, people are usually supposed to come and cleanse others so they won't spread it."

"So we're safe, aren't we?" Everyone was silent.

"Sis, you just kinda appeared here... You were in here before you were cleansed..."

"Can't we cleanse everyone?" Tadashi shook his head.

"People wouldn't want to do it. Not to mention the panic it would cause. Besides, I don't think all the mages on the island combined could be able to do it. They'd be worn out."

"If more of the Alexandras were alive, we'd be able to do it... but even if they were, they may not have done it..."

"Why's that?"

"Our family... They were... for lack of better terms, snobs."

"Snobs? In what way?"

"Well... The Alexandra family is a very esteemed family, and it has existed for a _long_ time. Over time... they've learned to dislike a lot of people. Well, certain groups of people. Our dad is included in with those groups."

"We're racist?!"

"Well, not exactly racist... More like... heartist."

"Okay, now I'm more lost than I was before..."

"What she's trying to say is that the Alexandra family's hearts are mostly pure, if not completely pure, light."

"That's actually possible to breed?"

"Apparently."

"So, why didn't they like Dad?"

"Well, because he had a lot of darkness in his heart... Actually, some people say his heart was completely made of darkness."

"But Mom loved him... Right?"

"Artemis was an exception. She was different than the rest of them. She could see light in everyone. She always wanted to show kindness to people and to make them feel loved. Dad included."

"She's the reason we have Aunt Selene." I looked back to Iris. "They really didn't want to take Selene in, but Mom fought to give her a place to stay."

"So... what about our hearts, Iris...?"

"Can't be sure..."

"Maybe you guys are some sort of half-heart or something. Equal light and darkness."

"I don't even care if that is what we are. I'll call myself that because it sounds fricking awesome." Akane grinned.

"I'm glad you think so."

"I think that's enough deep talk for one day." Iris stood up and put her hands on her hips. "We need to do something fun."

"No." I looked over at Tadashi who looked worried.

"What no?" He began shaking his head.

"Iris, I know what you're thinking. NO." She grinned, and I looked between the two of them, confused.

"Seriously?! What no?"

5 Minutes Later

"Oh. This no." I looked at the pile of cards in my hand.

We were playing slapjack, in a house full of trained fighters. And one of them was also a monk. Monks are trained in hand-to-hand combat. So you can see where this would lead. Hopefully.

"Normally I'd be okay playing a game where you hit people, but I'm kinda scared this time..." I looked around at everyone as they put cards down. Akane had a determined face, with her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth. She was focused.

Iris was grinning and humming something, while Tadashi and Eri looked ready to cry. Well, as much as their emotionless expressions showed. Nolan looked a little nervous, and Diana... Well, Diana was looking at her coil.

"I tried to warn you. And there is no quitting once Iris is in the gaming zone. Iris gets serious about whatever task she is doing." We looked over to her and saw her making her hair into a long, purple mustache.

"Yeah... Serious is the last word I'd use to describe my sister..."

"Ari, it's your turn!" I anxiously put down a card. Luckily I didn't put down a jack.

"Oh, Aries..." Tadashi put down a jack and everyone, but Diana, went for it.

"I got it!" Iris raised the card triumphantly. The rest of us, but Eri, rubbed our hands after hitting each other. I looked at Iris who didn't look affected at all. 'How is she...? You know what. I shouldn't even question it. Iris is Iris.'

 _" * Don't go, it's a mighty long fall, when you thought love was the top -"_ Tadashi answered his coil, which I absolutely loved the ringtone for.

"Hai?"

"Are you with everyone?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Hello, everyone. I need to speak with Tadashi privately. I apologize."

"It's cool, Hasu. We aren't doing much right now anyway." Everyone, but Iris, looked relieved that we had an out from the game. Tadashi stood.

"I'll be right back." He walked out of the room, and the rest of us looked at each other.

"What now?"

"Talking, I guess." Akane looked over to me.

"Have you made plans for tomorrow night yet, Ari?"

"Not definitely. All I know is I'm going to Sukui to meet people." She smiled.

"That's good. A lot of people will be there. We're friends with quite a few of them." She looked sad for a moment before she shook her head and sighed. "You definitely have a lot of people that you can choose to be friends with."

"I don't know if I'll make many friends... I'm kinda socially awkward."

"Hey, they're friends with Eri just fine. Tadashi, too." Eri frowned.

"That's a bit mean Iris."

"I'm not trying to be mean. I'm just saying since they're so quiet and awkward around people that I'm shocked they have so many friends."

"Iris... That sounds even worse..." She huffed.

"I'll just stop talking..." I patted her on the back.

"It's probably for the best."

"Don't worry, Ari. There are a lot of friendly people that you'll easily become friends with. Trust me on that." I smiled.

"I will. Thank you, Akane."

"Don't mention it." Tadashi finally came back into the room and sighed as he sat down.

"What's up?" He looked over at us.

"Sadly, I can't say. I can talk for a few minutes, but I have to go to Sukui." He looked at Iris. "When I get home, we'll need to talk." She tilted her head and gave him a questioning look.

"Is it...?" He nodded.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Okay. I understand." I looked between them, confused. 'They're acting weird... I wonder what they're actually talking about...'

"What time is it?" We looked over at Nolan.

"Umm..." Iris checked her coil. "It's about 9..." He stood up.

"I'm going to get some gaming in since I've to get up early tomorrow."

"Why's that?"

"I'm meeting up with some friends. A few are from my village, and the others are from the other ninja villages."

"Oh. Cool." He nodded.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Night." He walked upstairs and then disappeared into his room.

"I'll be going to bed as well." Eri got up. "Good night." He left, leaving the five of us.

"I'll be heading to my room, too."

"Aka, you're on guard duty."

"Gotcha." Diana huffed.

"I hate this so much..." Diana and Akane stood and began walking to her room.

"You did this to yourself, bro." Diana and Akane had a mini-discussion as their voices faded.

"You should get some sleep, Sis. You've got a big day ahead of you." I nodded.

"Sure." Tadashi sighed.

"I'll be going to Sukui." Iris nodded.

"I'll just watch some TV." She looked at me. "I'll be here if you need some company." I nodded.

"Thank you." Tadashi smiled and so did Iris. "Well, good night... I guess... I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Night, Sis."

"Good night, Ari." I nodded before leaving the room and heading for the living room. I closed the door and sighed once I was in.

"I guess... I'll get ready for bed..." I stretched. "It sucks going to bed this early..." I began to get changed into my pajamas. Once I was dressed, I sat down on my bed. 'Why do I feel uneasy...? It doesn't make any logical sense... Do I have anything to feel worried about...?' I sighed once again and lay back on my bed.

"How'd I get myself into this...?" I looked at my bookshelf. "There's so much to take in..." I sat up and moved myself to the edge of my bed. I reached forward and opened the blinds and the window so I could look outside.

"My new life... Tomorrow is when it gets really interesting." I closed my window but kept the blinds open. I got up and turned the light off before lying down.

"*Buenas noches, Mezame..." I quickly fell asleep after that.

~*~*~* The Next Day ~*~*~*

I slept till about 9 a.m. I'm amazed my body was okay with 11-12 hours of sleep. I thought for a moment about what I should wear. 'Iris and Tadashi were wearing the same outfit yesterday that they wore the day before... and they didn't seem stinky... Maybe I should ask them about that...'

I changed into the same clothes from the day before and made my hair look decent before I walked downstairs. I saw Iris watching TV in the living room along with Diana. Iris looked over at me as I walked in.

"Morning, Sis."

"Morning..." I sat down. "So, how are we wearing the same clothes?"

"Special materials that prevent odor."

"Magic?"

"Yep." I nodded.

"Thought so." I looked around. "Where are the others?"

"Momo is sunning in cat form outside, Aka's sleeping, and so are the boys. Hasu is in her study and Selene and Sonia are out doing stuff."

"And Nolan is out with his friends." Diana spoke without looking away from the television.

"Want breakfast?"

"Do we have cereal?" Iris frowned.

"Ari, breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"I know that. What does that have to do with having cereal or not?"

"You should eat more than cereal."

"Should and want are two different things, Iris. I _should_ eat eggs or something, but I _want_ to eat cereal. My priority is the cereal." She sighed.

"Fine. It's in the pantry, 2nd shelf. Milk's in the fridge and the bowls are in the cupboard next to it. Spoons are in the drawer next to the fridge."

"Thanks." I stood up.

"You have to eat in there, though. If you eat out here, Sonia will probably murder you."

"Yeah, I'd rather not die." I looked through the cabinet, once I reached it, and I laughed. 'These names...' All of the cereals were the same, but the names were way different.

\- Artificial Fruit Rocks (Fruity Pebbles)  
\- Fortune Symbols (Lucky Charms)  
\- Extraordinary Q (Special K)  
\- Colonel Munch (Cap'n Crunch)

I didn't quite understand why some things stayed the same, while others were slightly altered. The gap between realities really did allow for strange things to happen.

"I guess I'll have some Artificial Fruit Rocks... because that sounds _so_ appetizing..." I laughed to myself again as I grabbed the box and poured myself a bowl.

I sat at the table once I had gotten my food and ate quickly. I was unusually hungry, for once. Usually if I ate this early, I'd feel like puking. And when I thought about it, I realized I hadn't felt that bad since I had gotten to Mezame. 'I guess things have really changed, now... It's good change... If good change even exists...'

Change, in my life, was always an interesting thing. It came in many different forms. Bad change, in itself, usually didn't occur at first. It usually followed after good things. Good change always gave me hope, but there was always a price. I think bits of my sanity and mental health would vanish every time I fell from the illusions of hope.

I wanted to believe everything in Mezame would be different. I was foolishly grasping onto hope again, just as I always had done. I don't know why. It was torture.

I feared the price I would pay. It was coming, whether I liked it or not. I could feel it deep down, just like so many times before.

"Hey, Ari?" I snapped out of my thoughts and looked towards the living room.

"Yeah?"

"Are you still going to get some training in today?"

"Yeah."

"Coolness. Hasu should be able to step away from her work long enough to help out. Just let me know when you're done eating, and we can go and get her."

"Okay." I finished up the bowl of cereal quickly. It honestly never took me long to eat. Especially when I was hungry. I even ate a second bowl, and in all, it barely took me any time.

I rinsed the bowl out before placing it in the sink. I took a deep breath before walking into the living room.

"Ready?" I nodded.

"Ready." Iris turned the TV off before standing up. Diana sighed and reluctantly stood as well.

"I'm just warning you now that Hasu is very serious when it comes to training. It'll be intense." I sighed.

"Of course it will be... That's the definition of exercising at all in my life..."

"Wimp."

"You know me so well." Diana rolled her eyes.

"The study is literally about five feet away. Can we please cut the chatter and get on with this?"

"As long as you're under supervision, you have to go along with whatever your babysitter is doing."

"My babysitter?"

"Let's be real. That is basically what is going on. You aren't responsible enough to be left alone, so someone else is put in charge of you."

"Wow. The accuracy of that." Diana frowned.

"You two are going to be the death of me, aren't you?"

"Yep." We had spoken in unison. The twin powers were officially activated.

"It's a Walker-Alexandra thing, I suppose." Iris grinned. "Ari and I are just awesome like that."

"Sure. Fine. Whatever. Let's just go!" Iris and I laughed a little as we walked over to the study. Iris knocked on the door, and we waited for a response.

"Come in." Iris opened the door and the three of us stepped in. Hasu looked up from her desk and smiled at us. "Ah, girls. I assume this is about Ari's training?"

"Yeppers." Hasu stood and placed her pen down.

"Excellent timing. I was just about finished. The rest can wait till later. I believe this is much more important."

"Thank you, Hasu."

"It's my pleasure, Ari." She gestured for us to follow her. "Come. There's much to be taught, so we mustn't waste any time." The others followed after her while I glanced around the room.

The room was mostly wood, except for the floor which was carpeted. There was a bookcase lining one of the walls, and a small alcove with a couch in it. There was a coffee table in front of the couch, and two armchairs on either side of it. The desk was next to a set of windows on the farthest wall, and on the ceiling was a chandelier.

"You comin', Sis?" I looked over to Iris who was waiting by the door.

"Yeah. Sorry." I hurried and began to walk with her and the others to the training grounds.

"Well, of course to begin, we'll summon our weapons." I nodded.

"Shinsetsu!" The sword I had slowly become familiar with appeared in my hand. Hasu smiled before she summoned her own weapon.

She was one of the summoners in the house that didn't need to say a name for her weapon. She easily summoned a rapier without saying a word. It looked really fancy, like something a noble would use.

"The Ueno family is trained from a young age to fight. Magic is our primary weapon, but we also are taught how to use swords so we can act as red mages rather than white or black mages." She looked at her sword. "We are left to learn to control our powers by ourselves. We can't rely on shortcuts such as names or control spells. We have to be self-reliant." She pointed her sword towards me. "Since you're being trained by an Ueno, you'll be put through the same training that every Ueno has experienced. You have no retainer, so you must defend yourself. Are you prepared?"

"As ready as I can be." She smiled.

"Good." She moved into a proper fencing stance with her arm behind her back. "I believe the best way to learn sword fighting is through combat. Prepare yourself." I quickly got into the stance Tadashi had taught me before the match had begun.

It was silent for a moment as I waited for movement. Tactics wise, I should have struck first, but I was a student. I wasn't sure what was going to happen or when it would happen. I was nervous.

When she finally moved, she moved quickly. I could barely keep up with her. Luckily I moved just in time to miss her attack.

"Good, but you have to keep up. Remember to strike back. If you don't, you'll never win a single battle in your life." She moved again and swung down at me. I remembered the stance Tadashi taught me, and I blocked from above. I pushed up and flung her sword away from me before I fixed myself and attempted to attack her.

As I tried attacking her, I smiled to myself. I felt confident that I would hit her. I was wrong.

Just as I was about to strike her, she did a backflip to move out of the way. I lost my footing and I began to fall forwards. She came in for another strike, so I got into a crouching position and blocked myself again.

"Good save, Ari." We were stuck as we tried to overpower one another with our swords. I examined my options, and then smiled to myself. I swung one of my legs at hers and took her by surprise. She fell backwards and I quickly stood up and pointed my sword at her throat.

"Checkmate." She looked up at me and smiled.

"Well done." I lowered my sword and then helped her to her feet. "You learn quickly. You'd make a good tactician."

"I don't know about that specifically. I do know I have definitely improved." I thought for a moment. "I'm jealous of that backflip you did. It looked awesome."

"Thank you. Trust me when I saw I couldn't ever do that outside a battle, though." I titlted my head.

"Why's that?"

"In battle, you are much more capable of doing acrobatics than you'd think. Battle increases your natural instinct to survive, which makes you do things you wouldn't normally." She nodded. "I have faith you can do the same."

"I might die if I try doing anything like that... I'm not athletic at all."

"You must have faith in yourself. If you have no faith in yourself, then no one else will. Success stems both from yourself and the trust of others. Never doubt yourself a minute, or else others will do the same."

"That sounds like a lot of pressure..."

"That's tragically the burden of the Alexandras. You're a born leader. Iris and you both." She looked between us. "Both of you girls have grown so well. Artemis would be proud. I know I am. I'm glad Aries has brought you two together, again. And back here to Sukui."

"Ugh, you people are so sappy."

"Tacete." Diana's mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. She glared at Hasu. "You're already on thins ice. Not just with Sonia, but with the rest of us as well. You won't be saying another word until we are finished training." Diana crossed her arms and sat on the ground.

"The urge to taunt is strong."

"Iris, don't poke the bear."

"What if I _want_ to poke the bear?"

"Then prepare for the bear to poke back. With claws. And teeth. And mauling. And utter death and destruction." Diana was glaring at us as we joked around. I had a feeling she _really_ didn't like us. A really strong feeling.

"You started training already?" We looked over and saw Tadashi walking over to us.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Tadashi looked over to Iris.

"Good morning person who literally never sleeps." She just grinned in response. He looked over to me, ignoring her. "Has your training gone well so far?" I looked over to Hasu.

"You'll have to ask her. I don't like gauging my own progress."

"She is doing just fine, Tadashi. She'll have everything she needs in no time at all." She nodded, more to herself than anyone else. "I can only do so much, though. I'll teach her everything I can, but you have to teach her the rest." He nodded.

"I know."

"Good." She looked at me. "Do you want to continue?" I nodded.

"I need to train as much as I can. I won't be weak."

"Well put. Let's begin, then. We have much to do before Sukui opens tonight." I nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay, everyone has officially left for work. We have an hour till it opens and everyone will start getting there."

"I'm gonna go change. I want to wear something different."

"You're letting your girl show, Sis."

"I'm going to be wearing jeans, Iris. Not too much _girl_ will be showing."

"Girls wear jeans." I sighed.

"Fine. Whatever."

"I'll come with."

"Are you fashion police or something?"

"No. I just wanna talk to you."

"I'll wait here, I guess."

"Yeah. You're a stinky boy." Iris grabbed my shoulders and pushed me forwards. "Onwards!"

"Aye, aye." She continued pushing me all the way up the stairs until we got to my room. I was scared since I felt like I was going to fall a couple of times.

"So, whatcha gonna wear?" I shook my head.

"Not sure yet." I began to look through my closet while she sat on my bed.

"You're doing great at fighting, Sis. You'll be a certified badass in no time."

"I highly doubt that."

"Hey, you aren't allowed to doubt yourself. Remember?" I sighed.

"Yeah, I remember." I grabbed a pair of jeans and turned to face her. "Can you please look away?"

"I gotcha." She took her right hand and covered her eyes. "Are you nervous?" I slipped my skirt and socks off and then pulled on the jeans.

"About what?"

"Tonight. Fantasy finally becoming reality for you." I looked through my shirts.

"Yeah. Of course I am. There is no way I could think I wouldn't be... I mean, from the sounds of it, it's gonna be crazy."

"I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I just hope you won't die."

"Yeah. I hope I won't die, too." I finally grabbed a shirt that partially looked like a trench coat as well as a tank top to wear underneath. I slipped both on and then looked over to Iris. "Can you pull my hair up?"

"Umm..."

"You can uncover your eyes. I'm decent now." She uncovered her eyes and I saw a weird look in them. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" She stood up and walked over to me. "Your hair looks nice right now." I looked over to my mirror.

"It does?" I tried turning my head to see the back, but Iris stepped in front of me.

"It looks fine, Sis. Don't worry, okay?" She was acting really weird. Even more so than normal. I ignored my instincts, though, and sighed.

"Fine. If I get overheated, though, it's all your fault."

"I'm cool with that. I have some tricks up my sleeve to help with that." I furrowed my brows.

"Right..."

"Come on. We can't keep Tada-chan waiting forever. He gets pissy."

"I'd be pissy, too, if I had to wait for a chick to make up her mind. And I'm not even as bad as other girls."

"You should try waiting for Di, sometime. She takes extremely long. She usually ends up wearing the same thing, though."

"I think she just enjoys complaining."

"Pretty much."

"Man, if she was here right now, we'd probably be in a fight again."

"Probably." I took a deep breath after a minute of silence.

"Well, let's go get Tadashi." Iris nodded.

"Right." We exited the room and then head downstairs to the living room. Tadashi looked over at us from where he was reading on the couch.

"Ready?" I nodded.

"Yep." He closed his book and placed it on the coffee table. He then stood up and joined me and Iris by the stairs.

"Heh. Tada-chan is a nerd." He frowned.

"Really? We're going to do this right now?"

"Yep." He sighed.

"You know what? I don't care. Let's just go. This is something for Ari." Iris pouted.

"Fine..." I just shook my head and laughed as we exited the house. Once we had been walking for a little bit, though, I regretted my outfit choice.

"Why is it _so_ warm?" I fanned myself with my hand. "I'm going to die."

"Well, Sis, you are the genius who decided to wear long sleeves, jeans, and gloves in the summer."

"Yeah, but I always do that. I feel really overheated right now..." Iris quickly glanced over to Tadashi before looking back to me.

"Here." She held out her right hand. "Glacio." A charm that looked to be made out of ice appeared in her hand after a flash of light. It was a bracelet. "This will help cool you down."

"Thanks." I put the charm around my wrist after I took it, and I instantly felt cooler. "Oh my Aries, what did you do? It feels great."

"It's a charm I was taught growing up. All of us learn at least a little magic in the temples. My training was a bit different, though."

"How so?"

"Well, they knew what families I was coming from. Both the Walkers and the Alexandras are strong in their own ways, so they specialized my training to help bring those traits out in me."

"Am I able to use magic?" Iris shrugged.

"Maybe. It could take awhile, though, to pinpoint which magicks you can and can't use. It's a long process, trust me. It took me years to figure out I can use ice magic."

"Booo. Maybe I'll just try when I have the free time, then." Iris nodded. "So, how is the Walker family strong?"

"Well, typically they aren't able to use magic, which is why Mom's side provided that for us. Dad's side, though, usually shows immense physical prowess. Hence my crazy strength."

"I feel like I didn't inherit that trait..."

"You probably just haven't figured it out. You'll find something, more than likely." I shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm still kinda confused about everything."

"It's understandable. This is a bit much to take in. One day at a time, I guess." I nodded.

"Right." We finally started to near Sukui, and my nerves began to kick in. The realization of what I was about to do hit me like a bullet train.

"Ari, you okay?"

"Meep."

"That's not good." I tried turning and walking away, but they caught onto my arms.

"Come on, Sis. It'll be fine."

"No it won't."

"How do you know that? Are you magically psychic?" I looked at Iris.

"You know the answer to that, Iris." She huffed.

"Come on." They, more so Iris, began to drag me along.

"Help! Some crazy chick I'm related to and my friend are holding me against my will."

"Seriously, Ari?" I pouted.

"I hate you guys..."

"It's cool. We hate you, too." I pulled their hands off of me and finally began to walk towards the door on my own. As soon as I was in front of it, though, the anxiety came back again.

"Ari, you'll be fine. We'll be right beside you the entire time." I looked over at Tadashi.

"I'm really scared... I've dreamed of this my entire life... and I just... Now that it's here, what if it isn't everything I've hoped it would be?"

"Nothing ever is the way we think it will be. I know the way you thought this would happen was different, but this is the present. You can't live anywhere else but here and now."

"Our expectations always screw us over, don't they?"

"Yeah. They do. You always get past that, though." I looked down as I thought of my real life... Of my real dad...

"Yeah... I know..." Iris grabbed onto my hand.

"It'll be okay, Sis." I looked over to her.

"Thank you." I looked between them. "Both of you." Iris hugged me before looking at the door.

"You are officially Ari Raine Walker-Alexandra. Go kick some ass, Sis." I smiled.

"You know it." I took one last deep breath before turning the doorknob, and pushing the door open.


	10. Chapter 7,Part 2: Introducing Ari Walker

In-tro-duc-ing: to present [someone] by name to another in order to establish an acquaintance

"Welcome to Sukui!" Akane bowed to us like we were customers. I don't think she honestly noticed it was us. She straightened herself out and then saw us. "Oh! Sorry guys. I didn't notice it was you."

"It's cool, Aka." She looked over to me.

"You look nice, Ari." I smiled.

"Thanks. I'm glad you think so." Akane looked over to Tadashi.

"Doesn't she look nice, Tadashi?" His eyes widened as he blushed. He was completely flustered.

"Why are you asking me?" She made her hands into a heart.

"Cuz I ship it." And then both Tadashi and myself were blushing.

"Boys are icky, Ari. Ignore her, for she knows not of what she speaks."

"Fight me, Walker."

"Which one of us? There are technically two of us now."

"The purple one, obviously." Iris got into a pretend fight position. She kinda looked like she was in Street Fighter.

"Bring it on, Himura." Meanwhile, Nolan came up behind Akane and hit her on the head with his order notepad.

"Ow!"

"You still owe me and Eri for bailing on us the other day. Get moving." Akane frowned and rubbed the back of her head.

"Geez, that really hurt... You didn't have to use that to get my attention."

"It worked, didn't it?" She sighed.

"I'll talk to you guys later..." She looked over at me. "Have fun, okay?" I nodded and smiled.

"Okay." She smiled as she went off to help customers. Nolan looked at us once he was sure she was actually working.

"I assume you guys can handle yourselves."

"I don't know if Iris can, but Ari and I are fine."

"Hey..." Nolan laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes." He looked over to me. "I'll introduce you to some of my friends, later."

"Cool. Thank you." He nodded as he turned and began walking away.

"No problem." Once he was gone I turned to Iris and Tadashi.

"Where to first?"

"Take a minute to look around. You're the one that has to answer that." I deadpanned.

"You guys are so helpful."

"He's right, Sis. Choose what you can handle. This is all about you." I sighed. 'There is literally no turning back after this...' I took a deep breath before turning. 'Here I go...'

Once I turned, I was thankful that I hadn't been greeted by familiar faces. I looked to my left, however, and my vision froze in that direction.

"And it has begun. Take your time to look around before making a decision, though." I nodded. 'Fire Emblem Fates, confirmed... Interesting...' I took another minute to look at the group before turning my head to the right. I smiled at the sight.

"Dude..." I saw the next group, which happened to include my OTP. I looked at Iris. "Are they together...?" She ruffled my hair.

"Not yet. I think it's possible, though." I looked back. "Your inner fujoshi must be going crazy."

"Inner fujoshi? Pfft, I admit I'm into yaoi."

"True." To clarify what was going on, I had seen my OTP. My OTP is actually a yaoi ship, for your information. And even though the ship isn't canon, I still love it.

Who are the two people who make up my OTP? Takuma Ichijo and Senri Shiki from Vampire Knight. They are perfection with one another.

Rima, the one Senri is actually _supposed_ to end up with in the show, was there as well. I didn't particularly care for her, considering she was in the way of pure amazingness. Not to mention, in my opinion, she isn't exactly an interesting character. She was really kind of dull. Really. No offense.

"Looks like they're the only two groups here right now." Iris did a sweep of the room. "Yep. I was right."

"You've got to options then, Ari." I looked between the two. 'If I choose Fire Emblem, I'll meet more people... Not to mention the majority is more sociable than my OTP's group...' I sighed.

"OTP'll have to wait. I've made my decision."

"Neutral characters it is." Iris smiled at me. "Okay, Sis: deep breath." I took a deep breath in and let it out. "*Yosh! Let's go!" Iris ran ahead, leaving me and Tadashi behind.

"Umm... Did she just...?"

"Hai..." He shook his head. "I don't know how many times we said this night is pointless without you... Some things just don't get through to her brain..."

"That seems about right." I smiled. "You've got to admire her spirit, though. She shines so brightly... I hope that light never burns out. It's rare in this world... In any world, for that matter..."

"It makes me think of you when you were young." I looked over at him. "You're a rare light. You were born different, and I'm not talking about here in Mezame."

"Yeah, and that's proved to be hell for me."

"Despite that, it's something we all need. Thank you." I smiled.

"Thank you too, Tadashi." He smiled.

"Hai, hai. Let's get going. I think they're waiting for us." I looked over.

"Huh?" They all seemed to be looking at us. Iris was grinning and waving at us. I instantly felt my face warm in embarrassment. "Dammit, Iris..." He sighed.

"Come on... I'll be sure to scold her later."

"Arigatou..." We began our awkward journey across the room. Once we were there, Iris put her hands on my shoulders and shoved me in front of her.

"Okay, guys. This is my twin, Ari. She's a newbie here in town, so I'm introducing her to everyone." Corrin smiled at me, which caused a slight blush to form on my face.

"Welcome to Midorijima, Ari. I'm Corrin."

"Corrin... Cool name."

"Thank you. Yours is a lovely name as well." I felt my face grow even warmer. 'I wonder if he'd be saying the same thing about my real name...'

"Aren't the rest of you going to introduce yourselves?"

"Our apologies. I am Kaze."

"I-I'm Mozu."

"My name is Silas."

"I'm Felicia." Jakob remained silent. Corrin nudged him, causing him to sigh.

"I am Jakob." Azura was quietly sitting in the back. She looked over, finally, and spoke.

"I am Azura." She turned back. I could tell she was lost in thought (and *all alone, too :P).

"It must be a bit much to take in." Iris threw her arm around my shoulder.

"Don't worry. Ari here is great with names. Besides, she still has a lot more names to learn tonight. That is, if everyone comes tonight."

"When don't they? It isn't like they really have anywhere else to hang out." Corrin nodded in agreement to Tadashi's statement.

"It is true. A lot of us aren't able to see one another. It's the only time we get to see people from our homes.'

"That must be tough."

"Do you have anyone from your home here?" I shook my head.

"No... I'm the only one... I might be the only one left, to be honest..."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm from Traverse Town." The group fell silent. Azura even looked up.

"I'm sorry." I shook my head.

"It's fine... I don't remember much about home, anyway. I must have conked my head or something in the struggle and earned myself amnesia."

"I hope your memory returns." I nodded.

"Yeah... Me too..."

"Okay, you guys. Ari has met them, so it's time to move on. I've got customers to feed and money to earn." We looked over at Akane who was shooing us away. "Come on. I owe the boys a lot. I don't like being in debt."

"You sound really shady saying that, Aka."

"I know. Now move it!" I laughed a little as we began to get pushed away.

"It was nice meeting you guys."

"It was nice meeting you as well, Ari. Enjoy yourself while you're here." I smiled.

"Thanks." Once we were far enough away from them for Akane's tastes, she walked back to the table. "Is that going to happen the whole time we're here?"

"It's a possibility." I laughed.

"Seems legit." Iris smiled at me.

"So, how do you feel?" I let out a breath.

"It was nerve-racking and exciting all at once. I'm amazed I did it."

"See? You did great."

"And that was a lower anxiety fandom..." I sighed. "We'll see how the other ones go."

"You'll be fine."

"That's what everyone says to me, and then I get sick."

"You are just an optimistic ball of sunshine, aren't you?"

"More just a realist who overexaggerates her limits in her mind... and out loud..."

"It's good to be a realist, but you can't make yourself fail because of it."

"I know... Tell my brain that, though..." Iris grabbed my head with both hands.

"Hey, you big meanie! Leave my sister alone. Stop thinking so much."

"Iris, I didn't mean to literally tell my brain." She grinned as she let go of my head.

"I know. I just wanted to do that." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Right..."

"So, Ari, what would you like to do now?" I scanned the room.

"No one else has gotten here yet, from what I can see..." I looked at Iris. "O. T. P." She smiled.

"Okay. Rule for this group is no squealing, fangirling, or giggling. Also, avoid bringing up the fact that you are shipping them together."

"I shall resist."

"Good. Now come on." She grabbed my hand and ran while pulling me along.

"Iris! Watch out!" Right as we were running past the door, someone was walking inside. Iris let go of me in hopes of us both dodging. Of course, I wasn't known for my grace and flexibility... She easily jumped out of the way, and I went crashing into the person coming in.

"Oof!" I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. I didn't want to look up at whoever I had fallen on. Of course, I'm polite, though, so I jumped up.

"Oh my Aries, are you okay?!" And then, I saw who I had fallen on, causing my face to turn into a tomato.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I reached out my hand helped _him_ to his feet. "What about you? Your face is a bit red."

"O-Oh, I-I'm fine." The rest of his group walked in, and I was close to either fangirling or dying. Probably the latter. Iris came back over, grinning.

"Sorry, dude. Didn't see who it was." A box of something came flying across the room and hit Iris in the head.

"That's why you don't run in here!" I looked over at Akane, who was yelling at Iris. 'So that's who threw it...' Iris stood up, rubbing her head.

"Mean..." Iris easily ignored the fact that she just had something thrown at her head and turned back to the group. "Anyways, it's great we ran into you guys."

"Ba-Dum, tss."

"Thank you, Ari." She slapped me on the back, knocking the air out of me. "This is my twin, Ari. I'm introducing her to everyone."

"More like your twin who is currently having trouble breathing..."

"Wimp."

"That makes more sense. I knew I'd never see you before." _He_ smiled. "I'm Noctis." Prompto wrapped his arm around Noctis's neck and pointed to himself with his thumb.

"I'm his best bud, Prompto Argentum."

"I'm Noctis's... friend and cook, Ignis Scientia."

"And I'm Gladiolus Amicitia."

"So, you don't have a last name now, Noct?" He scratched the back of his head.

"Well..." Iris sighed.

"Boys are hopeless..." She jabbed her thumb in his direction. "Noctis's full name is Noctis Lucis Caelum."

"Cool name." He blinked.

"Doesn't ring a bell?" I realized now he was trying to be incognito. He wasn't doing a very good job at it...

"Kinda... I guess. Should I know it?" 'Man, being oblivious to everything is hard.'

"He's a prince, Sis." I blinked.

"Seriously?" Noctis sighed.

"You're extremely reliable, Iris..." She didn't say anything and just grinned at him. He turned to me. "And to answer your question, yes. I am a prince. My kingdom is on Nova Chrysalia."

"Nova Chrysalia?"

"You don't know the main continent?"

"I don't know much of anything about the world anymore. A hit to the head will do that to you."

"Whoa, what happened?" I looked at Prompto.

"I'm originally from Traverse Town... I assume you can guess the rest." Ignis sighed.

"It seems like everywhere in the world nowadays is going to hell. There are few places people can take refuge." Gladiolus crossed his arms.

"They should have closed off Gran Pulse sooner. There would have been fewer monsters."

"Gran Pulse?"

"It's a continent connected to Nova Chrysalia in the northeast. It was one of the original areas in the world, and it holds the oldest civilizations. Saisei was founded there, Sis. The continent used to be a place traveled to during pilgrimages, but it was closed off after a lot of different bad events that took place." Iris crossed her arms and frowned. "Many believe daemons came from there since so many people died."

"That's scary to think of..." I furrowed my eyebrows. "How do you seal off a continent, though?"

"Magic. The Saisei head priests closed it off. It's a lot easier to open, though, then it was to close. Any person with the potential of being a Saisei head priest can open it... Closing it, though, cost a lot of lives... It drains a lot of your life force to do it... Not that opening it doesn't have its own energy requirements. It still takes a lot out of you." I nodded.

"Man, I need a history lesson sooner than later." Iris smiled.

"I'm more of a "teach along the way" girl. You'll learn when you need to." I shook my head.

"I should have known..." Akane finally walked over.

"Am I going to have to follow you guys around all night so we don't lose money?"

"Probably." She gestured for us to leave.

"Shoo. They are customers first, friends second." She turned to the boys. "No offense, dudes."

"It's cool, Akane." I looked at the boys.

"I really am sorry about earlier, Noctis." He waved it off.

"It's fine, really. I understand how Iris is."

"Hey..."

"And my friends call me Noct, by the way." I nodded.

"Okay, Noct." He smiled as the group began walking away. Once they sat down, Iris came to stand by me (*cries*). She had a devious smile on her face. "Do not SpongeBob me, Iris."

"You like Krabby Patties, Squidward. Noctis, too." I crossed my arms and blushed.

"Mean. Just mean. Besides, Prompto has his own cute qualities, too..." Iris shook me.

"You're adorable." I pushed her off me.

"And you're a pest."

"I know." Tadashi finally came over and joined us. I looked at him.

"Where have you been, dude?"

"Well, first I was trying not to get caught up in that pile-up earlier. Then, while I was waiting, I got a cup of coffee from the back." And then I noticed the cup in his hand.

"Hey! You should have gotten me one, too!" I looked at Iris.

"I don't want to imagine you on caffeine, Iris." Tadashi smiled.

"You'd be surprised, Ari. Caffeine is good for Iris." I gave him a bewildered look.

"In what way?"

"You'll have to see it for yourself. You won't believe me, otherwise."

"I am extremely skeptic right now."

"It's fine. People usually are." I looked over to Iris to see her pouting.

"You okay, Iris?"

"No. I wanted coffee..."

"It'll stunt your growth."

"I don't care! I want coffee!" I laughed and for once Tadashi did, too. He seemed to be in an overall good mood for once.

~Cherish this night. Times like these are fleeting...~ I looked around. 'Who...?' I looked at Iris. 'It wasn't her... She doesn't sound like that... Not to mention she is preoccupied with coffee right now...'

"Sis, come on. I'm getting coffee."

"You're going to be short."

"Craps I give, Ari." She grabbed my hand and began pulling me along. "We'll get you water or orange juice or something." I laughed.

"Fine." I turned my head. "Come on and keep up, Tadashi."

"I'm coming."

We sat in the back for a little while, talking amongst ourselves and with Sonia and Selene. Iris was happy now that she had her coffee. She seemed to have calmed down a lot, too. I guess that was the good thing Tadashi was talking about.

"Now that we've had something to drink, I feel much better."

"Yeah. Ari is ready to conquer Mezame." I sweatdropped.

"Yeah, I don't think I feel _that_ great. I'm not sure I'd ever feel _that_ great." Iris pouted.

"No fun..." She took a sip of her coffee. "Anyway, who are you gonna talk to next? There's bound to be more people by now."

"Other than my OTP, I don't even know who's supposed to be here."

"Oh yeah... Kinda forgot that... Welp, we'll see when we get out there." Iris looked past me. "Yo, Sonia! Can I get a cup to go?" She looked at Iris.

"You payin' for it?"

"No..."

"Then there is your answer."

"Aww, come on!"

"We can't waste product on family, Iris."

"But I work here!"

"You _used_ to work here. You're on guardian duty now. You start working again and we'll talk."

"Boo."

"How old are you, Iris?"

"I'm 16. How old are _you_ , Sonia?"

"I'm older than you." Tadashi leaned over to me.

"She's 34."

"Oi, Murakami!" Sonia walked over and whacked him with an inventory clipboard.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head.

"Don't go around telling people's ages to others." I looked at Sonia.

"You don't honestly look 34, Sonia."

"Thank you, Ari. Although, I'm pretty sure you're just being a kiss ass right now." I shrugged.

"I don't even know, to be honest." She laughed.

"Well, at least you're honest. I guess that counts for something." She put the clipboard back. I'm going to get back to work. You should head back out soon."

"We will." She nodded.

"Enjoy yourself, Ari." I nodded.

"I will." Sonia walked out of the room, leaving the three of us with Selene who was busy cooking.

"Okay, Sis. You ready?" I sighed.

"I suppose." Iris stood up.

"Aw, come on! You need to be more excited than that." I frowned.

"Back home excitement wasn't something that I considered to be a good thing."

"Well you aren't back home. You're in Midorijima now."

"You're crazy." I sighed and stood up. "I am your twin, though. I guess I'm just as crazy." She smiled.

"I guess it's genetics." Tadashi glanced over to Selene, causing my vision to shift to her as well. She looked... Sad. There was no better way to explain her expression. She was staring thoughtfully at the counter, obviously lost somewhere in her head.

"Selene?" She blinked out of her thoughts and looked at me. "You okay?" She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah... I'm fine... Just a bit... nostalgic..." She started getting back to work, turning away from the three of us. "You three should hurry up before you miss all the fun..." I frowned.

"Alrighty... We'll see you later." She nodded. We exited the room into the back hall. "Is she... actually alright? She seemed... sad. That's a big contrast from how she usually is."

"There's no way to be certain... She has moods sometimes where she just needs to be left alone... Sonia is concerned for her, but she knows Selene needs her space. Sonia has spoken to me about it before."

"Don't worry about it right now. If there is something wrong, she'd probably tell us... I would hope, at least..." I sighed.

"I'm sorry I brought it up... I was just a bit worried." I shook my head. "Let's go. I think I've finally convinced myself it'll be okay. I need to go while I'm still in my clueless state." Iris grabbed my hand.

"Let us survey the dining room, First Mate Ari!"

"First mate? Why am I the first mate? I should be the captain."

"You can't be the captain."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm the captain. You're just a noob, anyway."

"So, shouldn't I be a deckhand?"

"Nah. That's Tadashi."

"Geez. I feel the love." He gestured toward the door. "Are we going?"

"You're a deckhand, Tadashi." Iris hit him on the head. "You no speak. Only the captain and first mate can speak."

"I'll be nice and say let's go for you, Tadashi."

"Thank you." He got hit again.

"NO TALKING." I started walking towards the door.

"Nope. Not getting into this." I quickly made it to the door. "My guardians are fighting. I'm running away from home."

"Nooo." Iris ran up to me and hugged me. "You can't run away from home! There are bears and other things that would try to eat you."

"It's too late. I've been eaten by a really hungry beaver."

"Nooo! Damn you beavers (Realizes she made an unintentional pun)!"

"I don't think a beaver would eat a human, Iris."

"*¡Callate! Can't you see I'm in mourning?!"

"Now my spirit must pass on to the other side... of this door." I pushed the door open and walked through it backwards. "Goodbye my idiots."

"You're dramatic."

"I'd be great in *drama."

"You? On stage? I'm trying to imagine that. You'd probably die."

"Normally, I'd be offended, but it's true. I probably would die... especially considering..." Iris gave me a worried look.

"Sorry, Sis... I didn't-"

"It's fine. I've moved on. If I let myself get held back, I'll bring about my own demise." I turned and began to scan the room. It was now significantly busier than it was earlier. I felt myself get nervous, causing me to turn back to Iris and Tadashi. "Okay... Tell me my options."

"Come on, Ari. You've gotta see for yourself."

"If I faint and/or puke, it's all on you... Maybe literally..." Iris cringed.

"Ew... Thanks for that image." She turned me around. "Now look." I sighed before forcing myself to search the room. 'Okay... Nothing new to the far left...' I started to turn my head to the right. 'Let's see...'

"Jack..." My vision had stopped on a table with a single person sitting at it. He looked much more normal than he had... Much more human, and much less anime-video game.

"Do you want to start with the terrier?" I felt my face warm a little.

"I..." I thought about it.

"Come on, Ari.~ He's lonely.~"

"Why _is_ he alone?"

"Well, Jack is with the Theater Vancoor guild at this point. Jarvis is most likely at 7th Heaven getting himself boozed up, and Daniel really doesn't come here."

"So, he just comes here by himself?"

"He hangs out with some of the other groups that come. He also occasionally comes with some other guild members, but for the most part he's alone."

"What about Ridley and Radiata and all that?"

"Ridley is under watch here in the city in the upper-end area of the city. Natalie and Leonard watch over her, and Cross occasionally visits her. Radiata still stands and still contains a lot of people. Some just chose to come here for safety reasons. Not to mention Midorijima is a good hub for groups to be sent out on missions."

"So much info... It all sounds crazy."

"That's just the world we live in. We do what we have to in order to survive this craziness." Tadashi shook his head. "Things just keep getting worse, though."

"Is that why I'm here, then? To make things more livable?"

"Maybe... We can't be sure, though." I nodded.

"Alright. I've made up my mind. We'll start with Jack."

"6 year old you is going to fangirl so hard." I laughed.

"Pretty much. Jack _is_ one of *the main three."

"It'll be one down and two to go." I smiled.

"Yeah..." My eyes widened. "Wait... Does that mean the other two are real?!" Iris facepalmed.

"Dammit... I wanted it to be a surprise."

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to die now. Or cry... Basically either could happen."

"No, don't die. Dying is bad, Ari."

"Says you. If you die, you can be a ghost or soul reaper or something." Tadashi made a face that was quick to fade. I couldn't tell what he was feeling or what he had reacted to. I simply ignored it and sighed. "Welp... Here we go." Iris smiled and began to push me across the room. That was the only way I was going to move.

"Yo, Jack Russell terrier!" Jack looked towards us.

"Oh, hey Iris." She stopped when we were next to his table.

"I want to introduce this noob, here."

"Gee, thanks..."

"You're quite welcome." She patted my head. "This is Ari Walker."

"You two are related?"

"Twins, actually." He gave me a funny look. "I know. It's a bit hard to tell."

"Hey! It isn't that hard, Sis!"

"Dude... You have purple hair and yellow eyes. That is a _big_ contrast from me having brown eyes and brown hair."

"Nature vs. Nurture?"

"I don't think it works that way with appearance..."

"Stop using logic, Ari! Geez, you are such a science nerd."

"Not really."

"How come I haven't seen you before if you two are twins?"

"I grew up... elsewhere." I really did not feel like talking about Traverse Town, considering the situation... I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, so I figured it would be safer to just not bring it up.

"Yeah... We got separated when our parents died... Hasu tried to keep us together, but it was out of her hands. Ari just kinda vanished from Midorijima, and I went to the Saisei temple... Neither of us grew up with our actual family."

"That must have sucked... Even after my parents died, I always had Adele with me... There wasn't anywhere else in Radiata, though, that I could have gone. *Solieu is really small."

"When you think about it, *Tottaus in general is kinda small."

"Yeah. It doesn't even come close to the Great Continents. Nova Chrysalia alone is huge. It would eat Tottaus."

"Probably literally and figuratively. Considering the whole *Adamantoise legend."

"Luckily the big guy is supposed to be asleep right now, so the people in Lucis have nothing to worry about for now."

"Geez, Jack. That's real sexist. For all you know the adamantoise could be a girl."

"You know what I meant, Iris."

"Did I, Jack? Did I?" I put my hands on Iris's shoulders.

"And on that note, I will get my loony sister away from you before she annoys both you and me." He laughed.

"Thanks, Ari." I nodded and smiled back.

"Don't mention it." I dragged Iris and myself out of his range, and she turned and smiled at me.

"You survived!"

"Barely." I put my hand to my chest. "My heart is pounding."

"I bet. He _is_ someone really important to you." I smiled as I remembered playing Radiata Stories when I was little.

"Yeah... He is... Him, Sora, and Fayt... All three of them are so precious to me..." Iris hugged me.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I couldn't actually be there to help you through those tough times... You had to close yourself off to protect yourself... I'm so sorry..."

"Iris, neither of us had control over that. What has happened has happened. We can't change that... I turned out okay, though... Right?" She looked up at me with teary eyes. She gave a firm but sad smile and nodded.

"Yeah... You're strong." She grinned and poked my arms. "Maybe not physically, but definitely mentally." I smiled and pushed her hands away.

"Thanks for reminding me that I need to work out more."

"Anytime, Sis." I looked around.

"Where'd Tadashi go now?" Iris sighed.

"I swear to Aries... Is he really having a pissy fit right now...?"

"About what?"

"Give me a quick sec, Sis." She closed her eyes and looked like she was thinking deeply. Her expression changed to an annoyed one, and I was wondering what she was doing.

After another minute or so, she opened her eyes and smiled at me. It was kinda creepy how fast she could change emotions...

"Sorry about that, Sis. Let's just keep going with the night. Tadashi'll show up eventually." I frowned.

"Right... Okay..." Iris looked around and grinned.

"Number 3 is officially here." I looked where she was looking.

"Ew... Why does Sophia have to be here?"

"They _are_ friends, Ari." I glared at the brunette girl sitting across the room.

"She pisses me off... She dresses like she wants _attention_ , and she complains a lot. Like, seriously, you can't zip and button-up your fricking pants...? You're 17, chick. Figure it out." Iris laughed. "What?"

"You. You are hilarious when you start ranting."

"I'm sorry that Ridley is the only love interest of the main three girls that I don't despise. The other two... They are such horrible examples of females..."

"Reasons to get the *Albel ending." I laughed.

"The best ending of all Star Ocean endings." We both laughed and fist-bumped.

"Come on, Fujoshi. We can't waste our time."

"True, true." We began to walk over, and I took a deep breath. I didn't feel as nervous this time, luckily.

Once we were near the table, Sophia and Fayt both looked towards us. I looked at Fayt, and I smiled a little to myself. He still had the same blue hair and green eyes I remembered so well.

"Hey, Iris."

"Wassup, Leingod?" I looked at Iris. She did not do the "wassup" thing well. At least Akane was funny when she said her version of it.

"Is this your sister, Iris?" Iris looked at Sophia with wide eyes.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Sophia laughed.

"We could kinda hear you talking to Jack from across the room."

"You aren't the quietest person, Iris." She sighed.

"Taking my fun away..."

"You find it fun introducing me five hundred times?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I'm enthusiastic to show everyone that you're finally here. We've been separated for almost 17 years. It would have been 17 next year."

"Mom and Dad have been dead that long...?"

"Yeah."

"Oh..."

"So, what's your name?" I looked up at Fayt.

"Didn't catch that part earlier?" He laughed.

"That was one of the parts I missed."

"Well, I'm Ari." He smiled.

"I'm Fayt Leingod." He gestured to Sophia. "This is my friend, Sophia Esteed."

"Friend? Seriously? We grow up together and I'm a friend?" I swear a vein was about to pop from my head like it did in anime. She irritated me SO MUCH.

"What? You still are a friend. What did you want me to say?" She huffed.

"Never mind..." She looked at me. "I'm sorry about him. For a college student, sometimes he can be clueless."

"I was in honors at school back home, and even I had my dumb moments." I looked over at Iris. "Speaking of school... Why aren't we going?"

"There isn't really a school in Midorijima. It's even harder now with all the immigrants in the area. If you want an education, you've gotta be homeschooled."

"I guess that helps explain those thugs from the other day, then. They didn't seem like they were the brightest bulbs in the bunch."

"Not all Rib groups act like idiots. Sonia can vouch for that. Still, they all aren't the best groups to hang around. Especially since some have been disappearing lately..."

"Are you talking about the people who were *spirited away?" I looked over to Fayt.

"Spirited away?" He nodded.

"Yeah. A new group called Morphine has supposedly been brainwashing Rib groups and making them disappear."

"Making them disappear...? That's... That sounds crazy..." Iris frowned.

"And they haven't stopped at the Rib groups. Immigrants have slowly been disappearing too. Not too many have been taken, but it is something to worry about." I nodded.

"Makes sense... more or less..." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a blond at a nearby booth shift. It was a male, and he seemed a bit buff. I glanced over and saw it was Mirage and Cliff. I figured they were watching Fayt, so I averted my attention from them.

"Anyways, Sis and I should be moving on to the next group."

"It was nice meeting you, Ari." I smiled, even though I was annoyed with Sophia inside.

"It was nice meeting you, too." We began to walk away when I bumped into someone. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

"Oh, it's okay." I looked at who I had bumped into, and I saw it was Vanille. She smiled at me and Iris.

"Hey, Vanille!" Iris and her hugged.

"Hi." She looked at me. "This must be your sister."

"You heard her from across the room, too?" Vanille laughed.

"No. I've heard stories about her long lost sister before. Iris and I are close friends." I nodded.

"That makes more sense. I was really concerned that she was loud enough for everyone to hear."

"Only bits and pieces."

"Hey..." Vanille smiled.

"I'm just messing, Iris." She gestured towards the right of the restaurant. "You should come meet the others, Ari. I'm sure you'll get along with them just fine." I smiled and nodded.

"Alright." She and Iris grinned, and I soon found myself getting dragged by both of them. I sighed inwardly. 'How did the Gods think that this friendship was a good idea...? They probably thought it would be funny... Gods are just _kind_ like that...'

We were soon standing in front of a few tables, all of which was Vanille's group, as well as other Final Fantasy characters. I took a minute to look at everyone. I couldn't believe so many amazing characters were now people sitting right in front of me.

I took a minute to take in everything around me. While I was, it felt like the world was moving in slow motion. I was feeling so many things at once. I'm amazed I kept ahold of my emotions.

I looked around at all the tables, filled with a wide variety of people. Some I knew, and some I didn't. I didn't really care. I just knew that I finally felt that I was in the right place. Like, I'd finally found the place where I was supposed to be all along.

"Ari?" I blinked out of my thoughts and looked back to the group in front of me. All eyes were on me, making me want to hide behind Iris or to just run and hide in the back or outside.

"Y-Yeah?"

"You okay? You zoned out for a minute."

"Oh... Yeah... I'm fine. Just... thinking." Iris sighed.

"Always lost in that head of yours... That place is probably a labyrinth." I smiled.

"Basically. I know how to traverse it more or less, though."

"Glad I'm not in there, then. I hate mazes."

"It's probably safer that no one goes there..." I thought for a moment. 'It would probably even be safer for _me_ to not be in my own mind...' I shook my head. "Okay, we got off track. Let's introduce me." Iris smiled and nodded.

"Alright." She pushed me out in front of her and put her hand on my head. "Okay, people. I want to introduce my twin sister, Ari. And, Ari, these are most of the people that came here from Nova Chrysalia." I nodded.

"It's nice to meet you all."

"Okay, everyone, you're gonna introduce yourselves now." Iris pointed at a table to the left. " Selphie's table will start, and we'll work that way." She pointed to the right. "Okay, Selph. You're up." Selphie stood and grinned.

"I'm Selphie Tilmitt. The guy next to me is Irvine Kinneas." He did a two-finger salute.

"Howdy." I laughed a little in my head. He turned to look at Selphie. "And guy, Selphie? No love for your future boyfriend?" She flicked him.

"Now is not the time." He signed.

"Fine... It's nice to meet you, Ari."

"Likewise." Zell pointed his finger at himself.

"Zell Dincht is the name." Quistis rolled her eyes at his introduction.

"Always so formal..." She looked over to me. "I'm Quistis Trepe." She looked at her group. "This is our group except for two. The other two are at 7th Heaven since they have some friends there as well." I nodded. Quistis turned back. "Our group is from various Gardens. Zell and I originate from Balamb Garden near Balamb Town. Selphia is from Trabia Garden in Trabia, and Irvine is from Galbadia Garden in Galbadia."

"Wait, we were supposed to say where we're from?!" Quistis sighed.

"We weren't required to say that, Zell. Please calm yourself." He sighed.

"Geez, I was just makin' sure..." Iris put her hands on her hips.

"Okay! Next group!" I looked to the next group, and I felt much more excited than before. 'XIII.' "You've already met Vanille." She waved. "So we'll start with..." Iris looked around. "Hope!" I looked at the familiar silver haired and green eyed boy. I couldn't tell what age he was at. It looked somewhere between XIII and XIII-2. 'He's probably in his late teens...'

"Well... I'm Hope Estheim." Noel laughed.

"You sound so sure of yourself." Hope frowned and looked over to the other boy.

"I'd like to see you do better." Noel rolled his eyes playfully.

"Just watch and learn." Noel looked over to me. "I'm Noel Kreiss."

"That was your version of better?!" Noel shrugged.

"At least I was sure of myself." I laughed a little at their antics. It reminded me of a roleplay I had done with my friend awhile back. It honestly felt like a long time since we had written it... I was still sad we didn't finish, but our lives really didn't allow for it to continue.

"Okay, you two: get a room." I tried to hold back my laughter. I decided a big smile was enough.

"Iris, we aren't gay."

"Aren't you?"

"We aren't."

"AREN'T YOU?!"

"We aren't!" Noel looked at me.

"What do you think, Ari?" I blushed a little.

"H-Huh? Oh... Uh..." I shook my head. "I don't think you guys are gay. If guys were gay because they joked with their friends, then most guys would be gay." Iris smirked.

"Fu-jo-sh-" I slapped my hand over her mouth.

"¡Callate!" She laughed and put her hands up in defeat. I lowered my hand and saw her grinning. I leaned over and whispered, "IF you tell them I'm a fujoshi, you're dead."

"They might not even know what that means. It is old tongue."

"So do people use it in modern language?"

"Sometimes."

"Then you aren't saying it. Ever." She sighed.

"Fine." She turned back. "Yo, NORA, you guys are up." Snow nodded.

"Alright. I'm Snow Villiers, leader of NORA."

"NORA?" Hope sighed.

"No Obligations, Rules, or Authority. They acted as a resistance group back when Sanctum was in charge of Cocoon."

"It doesn't really stand for what it used to, though. Not since Sanctum, along with Cocoon, fell. We helped people get situated in different areas in Nova Chrysalia... Then later here in Midorijima."

"So you guys are kinda like shepherds now, huh?"

"Heroes is more what I think we are."

"Besides, the shepherd title is already kinda taken." I looked over and my blush worsened when I saw it was Chrom who had spoken. 'I'm going to explode by the end of the night.'

"Geez, you guys are here later than normal." Iris shrugged. "Oh well. You're just in time for introductions and such, so go find a table."

"Introductions?"

"Yes, introductions. Now go find a seat!"

"Okay, okay." He and some of the other shepherds went to find a seat. As he walked past me, he smiled at me. I was going to die. It was official.

" _Anyways_ , moving on." We turned back.

"I'm Maqui. I'm NORA's official mechanic/tech nerd." I smiled.

"Nice." He grinned.

"Glad you think so."

"I'm Yuj." He examined me, and then squinted. I felt a little uncomfortable.

"Umm... You okay?" He looked up at me and smiled.

"I approve of your outfit." I frowned.

"Approve of my outfit?"

"Yuj here is a fashion freak. He's the odd one out here in NORA."

"On many different levels. I'm not bothered by that fact, though."

"Individuality is key."

"Exactly." Yuj turned to Lebreau. "You're up." She looked at me and smiled.

"I'm Lebreau." She turned and pointed next to her. "This big guy here is Gadot. I'm NORA's cook and fundraiser while Gadot is kinda our leading man when it comes to fighting." Snow smiled.

"I don't fall too behind, though." Gadot smiled.

"I dunno. You could probably use some more work." The two laughed. It was truly apparent the two were close friends.

"Now, we of course can't forget my lovely fianceé." She laughed.

"You waited quite awhile." She turned to me. "I'm Serah Farron. I'm not really a part of NORA, but I of course help how I can. I work as a teacher to some of the kids from Nova Chrysalia that were displaced when we come here." I smiled.

"A noble cause." I shook my head. "I don't think I'd be able to do what you guys do. You must have a lot of work to handle." Snow nodded.

"Doesn't matter, though. We do what we have to to make sure everyone gets taken care of." Iris folded her arms behind her head.

"We could use some of that, here... Midorijima has been falling apart for quite some time."

"Well that guy that is in charge of Platinum Jail isn't doing much to help. He's tearing up a lot of space on the island, and that's including the Old Resident's District."

"And he doesn't seem too interested in making it better, either... He's certainly been no help with the immigrants." Iris shook her head. "We are busting at the seams in people."

"Who are we talking about?"

"Tatsuo Toue that owns Toue Inc. He basically owns the island, now." I nodded. 'Oh yeah... Toue Konzern... Dmmd... I forgot... I'm ashamed... I have failed as a weeb.'

"Oh... That dude." I crossed my arms. "Damn rich people just sit there while others get hurt... and sometimes they aid bad people." I shook my head. "I just don't get it."

"You're Artemis Alexandra's kid... Wouldn't that mean you're rich as well?"

"I just came here a few days ago. I was raised elsewhere with no knowledge of who I actually was." I shook my head. "Not only that... but I don't remember what my life was like before the other day... My past is a mystery to me."

"Sorry... I didn't know."

"It's fine... I'm just piecing together a new Ari from everything that's happened this week. It doesn't really bother me. Maybe the old me was worth forgetting..." Iris gave me a sad look. I looked over to her and sighed. "We should probably move on now." She nodded.

"Alright." I turned back to the group and gave a small smile.

"It was really nice meeting you all. I hope we get to talk some more some other time."

"Us too. And hopefully you'll get to meet the whole group another time." I smiled.

"I look forward to it." I gave a small nod before we moved on to the next table. I should probably say "tables" since the next group couldn't fit at one table.

"Okay, Sis. This group is Class Zero from Rubrum. They train at Akademeia. Well, _trained_. They're the most elite class there."

"Train...?" Ace nodded.

"For battles and such." I frowned.

"It seems like everyone has to fight..." Iris nodded.

"More or less, yeah..." She turned to the class. "That's a discussion for another time, though. You guys can go ahead and introduce yourselves."

"We'll make this quick so you can continue on with your evening. I'm Ace."

"I'm Deuce."

"I am Trey."

"Cater."

"I'm Cinque."

"Sice..."

"I'm Seven."

"Eight."

"I'm Nine!"

"My name is Jack."

"I am Queen."

"King."

"I'm Machina Kunagiri."

"And I'm Rem Tokimiya." If I hadn't already known their names, my head would've been spinning due to their speed.

"You guys are like a deck of cards."

"I believe that's what Mother had in mind when we were named." I looked at Machina and Rem.

"What about you guys?"

"We haven't been in Class Zero long, so we haven't really had a chance to be renamed." I nodded.

"I see..."

"Do you have their names down, Sis?" I looked at Iris and nodded.

"Yep. Ace," I pointed to each of them as I named them, "Deuce, Trey, Cater, Cinque, Sice, Seven, Eight, Nine, Jack, Queen, King, Machina, and Rem." They looked at me a little amazed, causing me to laugh. "I'm good with names. I have slight *eidetic tonal memory."

"Wow. That's impressive."

"Thanks... I'm just shocked that despite that I can' t remember anything... It's like everything basic about me is still there, but my memories of events in my life were wiped from my head." They looked at bit saddened.

"We have a similar situation, then."

"How so...?" Deuce looked at me.

"When people die... We forget them." I frowned.

"How is that possible?"

"Magic put in place at Akademeia. All students and staff have that condition. It's supposed to relieve us of the burden of grief..."

"But..." I shook my head. "I disagree with that. I would never give up my memories. Not willingly, at least... I didn't really have a choice."

"And neither do we, really... I can't... I can't even remember my own brother... All I have left is something with his name on it... Izana Kunagiri."

"Machina..." Rem held onto Machina's arm. I felt bad that I had brought this conversation up. It felt even worse that I could remember Izana when he couldn't. I defied their rules, as well as those of the world in general. I was an anomaly in Mezame. Maybe that's why the original Ari couldn't be found. Maybe she was the same.

Maybe I was just destined to be a permanent oddity. Maybe that's why she wasn't here, either. Maybe we just didn't belong in any world, Mezame especially.

"Hey, Ari and I are gonna visit some other tables. We'll see you guys later." I looked up to see them group nod.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Ari."

"It was cool meeting you guys, too." I gave a curt nod. "I guess we'll see each other later."

"Alright." I waved as we walked away.

"I must say, Sis," Iris and I stopped when we were out of hearing range, "I'm impressed. You've done so well tonight. You're a totally different person." I nodded.

"To be honest, I thought I'd be having an anxiety attack or be out-of control fangirling, but... I don't know. I feel comfortable around them..."

"They acted as your safe place for so long. Their stories along with the stories in your head have protected you from so much pain." I nodded.

"You know... I haven't had to escape into my mind once the whole time I've been here..."

"Well, you haven't really been given the time to do so. You've been pretty busy lately."

"Basically less thinking, more fighting."

"Exactly. That's the way I live my life." I sweatdropped.

"That explains a lot about you..."

"Hey!" I laughed as she shook me. "Nooo, Ari! Don't be like Tada-chan!"

"It's too late. I've caught whatever he has." I put my arm up to my head dramtically. "Woe is me."

" _When you walk away, you don't hear me say -_ " I laughed as I heard the music that was playing.

"Is this _another_ *Simple and Clean remix?" Iris nodded.

"Yep. Simple and Clean Ray of Hope Mix."

"I know what's going on my iPod next." Iris laughed.

"You have a problem."

"Damn right I do. And I love every second of it."

" _You smiled at me, and said_ -" I sang along as I listened. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw the door open and heard the jingle of the bell above it. " _When you walk away, you don't hear me say Please, oh baby, don't go -_ " I looked towards the door and tried to see who had come in. I froze after examining the group. My eyes were stuck on one person alone.

"Oh my Aries..." Iris looked over at me.

"You okay?"

"He... H-He's actually..." I felt tears beginning to fall from my eyes involuntarily. "He's here... He's actually right there." Iris looked at Sora, and then back to me. She gave me a worried look.

"Seriously, are you alright?" I couldn't control my crying, and I began to shake a little. I covered my eyes with my arm.

"I just need a minute." I uncovered my face and I ran into the back.

"Ari-!" The door closed behind me and I felt my tears falling steadily. I wiped them away, but more just kept flowing from my eyes.

"I can't do this." I began walking down the hall. "I just want out..." I looked for an exit, a bathroom, or basically anywhere I could hide and cry my eyes out. I finally found an exit in the back and I went out the door.

The door led to the back alley, and I happily breathed in the cool night air. My hair blew a little with the breeze, and I began to calm down. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes and just tried to focus on my breathing and the cool air blowing on me. I had gotten myself into an anxiety attack for the first time since I'd gotten to Mezame.

"Aries, I'm pathetic... I thought I'd be overjoyed to finally meet him... but..." I sighed. "It's the *Mignogna-Lobby Incident all over again..." I shook my head. "I can't handle anything... I'll probably end up screwing everything up by the end of all of this..."

I sat in silence, mentally beating myself up as I did so. I tried taking my mind off of it, but I just couldn't. I opened my eyes and sighed.

"Guess I should head to the back or something... Or I could ask Iris if we can just head home... I don't feel like being social anymore..."

"Hey, brat." I turned and I saw something flying down at me. I didn't move fast enough and it collided with my head. I fell to the ground and began to lose consciousness. "Sleep tight." I fought to open my eyes, but I passed out soon after. 'Help... me...'


End file.
